India and the second Space Age

India stands at a crucial juncture in space travel. The age of state-led exploration has given way to the “Second Space Age,” a competitive frontier defined by commercial interests, private enterprise, and new geopolitical ambitions.

This collection of articles is from The is hindu It provides an important record of how a nation once lauded for its “standing” achievements prepared to navigate this complex new terrain. The e-book addresses a critical question facing the nation: Should India continue to follow the core “Sarabhai doctrine” of social development or should it now adopt a new paradigm to achieve its ambitious goals?

IIndia and the Second Space Age offers a comprehensive survey of the challenges and opportunities ahead. The authors explore the strategic shift towards sophisticated “dual-use technologies” for surveillance, the rise of a promising but under-pressured private sector that needs government as an “anchor customer,” and pressing legal questions that are creating a “wild east” of uncertainty around liability and international law. The e-book examines the motivations behind the Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission and the selection of the first “vyomanauts”, framing it as a quest for global prestige in the “new space race”.

This isn’t just a story about technology; it is about a nation’s evolving identity on the global stage. Read this to understand the complex balance of foresight, pride and risk that defines India’s quest to find its place in the competitive and commercialized final frontier.

What’s inside:

Thumba to Aya: Should ISRO continue to follow Sarabhai doctrine?, By Vasudevan Mukunth

Surveillance and dual-use technologies, By Aroon Deep

The Second Space Age is here. Where does India stand in this regard?By Pradeep Mohandas