India’s turn to foreign LEO satcom for tele-education advances connectivity goals but raises strategic, cyber, and governance concerns, highlighting the need for a resilient mix of indigenous satellite and fibre-based digital education infrastructure Starlink India, the subsidiary of the global low-Earth-orbit internet service provider of the same name, has
A surge in global conflicts is driving unprecedented demand for solid rocket motors, reshaping missile stockpiles, defence manufacturing, and military space capabilities With the world’s biggest economies, the United States (US), Europe, China, and Russia, having transmutated into wartime economies, and conflicts remaining imminent across hotspots, there lies a
The formation of the US’ War Department has triggered a global recalibration of STEM talent migration. The United States (US) is a significant investor in research and development (R&D) across various sectors, and its military R&D is a key driver of its superpower status. As per
As megaconstellations crowd low-Earth orbit, India’s Bharatiya Antariksh Station may enter a future where debris, risk, and uninsurability define access to space. Three Chinese taikonauts, members of the Shenzhou-20 crew, supposed to return from the Tiangong Space Station to China on 5 November 2025, are now supposed to be
This is a Digital Book published by the Global Policy Journal and the Observer Research Foundation jointly as part of the GP-ORF Series. Read the book on the Observer Research Foundation website through this link - https://www.orfonline.org/research/the-arctic-at-a-crossroads-the-making-of-a-new-frontier
The Indian space programme has taken a turn in 2020 when Modi’s government approved a series of measures to boost the sector and expand its industrial base. Now, with increased investment in the defence realm and the project of a national space station, New Delhi aims at becoming a
India’s space ambitions need more than vision—they need hard data. A secure, indigenous space econometrics system is key to safeguarding growth. The term ‘space economy’ was first introduced in the Union Budget speech of 2022, owing to its growing popularity in India. Given the strong indicators in favour
Pakistan’s wild claim that India muzzled global satellites after Operation Sindoor has backfired. In a world where nothing in space escapes scrutiny, Rawalpindi’s hoaxes only deepen its international embarrassment and expose its fading credibility. The enormous magnitude of India’s swift Operation Sindoor has made strategic analysts worldwide
This policy brief explores pathways for India and Europe to elevate their long-standing but underutilized space cooperation into a structured partnership. It argues that converging political, economic, and security interests ranging from human spaceflight and the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor to resilient satellite communications and space situational awareness make collaboration both
As fragile states embrace satellite internet, digital connectivity risks turning from a tool of progress into a new form of colonisation. The global satellite communications sector is projected to grow at a rate of 4 per cent from US$133 billion in 2023 to reach US$218 billion by 2035.
Pakistan’s sabre-rattling from DC shows that without strategic autonomy, India's Space startups, bound to overseas partners, risk eroding the very independence the programme was built to protect. India has had big plans for its space programme over the past five years. The Indian government implemented space reforms,
India’s Bharat 6G vision, if aligned with global telecom and maritime standards, can be a game-changer in enabling autonomous, connected ships and securing India’s leadership in the oceanic digital future Telecommunications networks are integral to modern maritime operations, aiding safety, security, sustainability and efficiency. In deep oceans, connectivity
The space economy is central to India’s global connectivity aspirations, and Mumbai is integral to this equation. Since the Indian government’s 2020 space sector reforms and the subsequent National Space Policy 2023, the state governments of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, and Gujarat have drafted their respective
The United Nations India and O.P. Jindal University had invited me to speak on ethics of artificial intelligence, as these two institutions were exploring pluri-perspectives on it during the summer of 2021. I did what was told, offered them a perspective of an Indian natural scientist. Sharing my excerpts
As global powers race for space autonomy, the US faces hard lessons—balancing monopolies, budgets, and its own vulnerability in a shifting cosmos. The game of tariffs, cancellations, and sanctions has reached its climax in Washington, where the chickens have come home to roost. Today, commercial space companies and financiers
By fast-tracking Starlink’s entry, Bangladesh’s government has opened the door to a potential satellite-driven conflict in a region already fraught with poverty Under the leadership of the Chief Advisor to the Interim Government, Mohammad Yunus, Bangladesh has taken concerted steps to operationalise Starlink. On 20 May 2025, Faiz
In the fight against terrorism, preventing the misuse of civilian-commercial technologies by terrorist groups should be the priority In 2020, the hand-to-hand combat reported between Indian and Chinese armed forces sparked significant media interest in pinpointing the exact location of the conflict—Galwan in Ladakh. This interest led to the
India must move beyond symbolic MoUs to forge a meaningful and mutually beneficial space partnership with the African Union On 20 April 2025, the African Space Agency (AfSA) was formally inaugurated, with its headquarters now established in New Cairo City. The AfSA headquarters are located near the Egyptian Space Agency
NAINA, Maharashtra’s upcoming smart city, can draw insights from China’s Guiyang and emerge as India’s science data capital. With the first phase of the Navi Mumbai International Airport soon to become operational and the launch of a new mega-smart city, NAINA, the Government of Maharashtra is progressing
Undoubtedly, the ongoing missions to the Moon are coming up through civil-military integration. Science is a distant third in priority after military and economic goals. India's space planners have lessons to learn, especially from Japan's beckoning. The world is gearing up to send humans to the
Just as India asserts its stakes in the Security Council, it must expand its patent office to join the IP-5 club. India has successfully managed the COVID-19 global pandemic domestically and helped numerous countries worldwide. Having developed strong socio-economic credentials in the comity of nations, India is now in a
We must achieve the civilizational goals set for 2047, known as Amrit Kaal. We could then become accustomed to setting and achieving targets for 2072, the 125th anniversary, and 2097, the 150th anniversary of Independence Day. Independent India never stopped the struggle to find the best models suitable for its
The Indian government views space tourism as a natural progression of the Gaganyaan mission scheduled for 2023-24. Space tourism is known as a luxurious pursuit for billionaires. But, the vigorous commercialisation of astronautical, sub-orbital, orbital, and cis-lunar activities demands a more excellent supply of trained spacecraft crews. India should explore
With most of India’s neighbours sinking into one economic crisis or another, it behoves us to help them out of their quagmires, including through science and technology (S&T) interventions. Many countries across the globe are in severe economic distress, and unfortunately, many of them are in our