Since the beginning of the year, the Indian commercial space ecosystem has been buzzing with the strong possibility of auctioning satellite communication spectrum on the line of 5G and earlier generation telecom spectrum auctions. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) created the buzz. However, more recently, space industry bodies, ISpA, SIA-India, and moreover, Chairman, INSPACe, proactively argued against pursuing such auctioning. So why is India’s commercial space ecosystem opposing TRAI’s stand? Why is auctioning not favoured anywhere in the world? Do we need new methodologies to allocate space-based 5G+ spectrum? What has the US and other countries adopted while…
Author: Team Interstellar
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In this episode of ORBITAL RENDEZVOUS, Interstellar Editor Prof. Chaitanya Giri interviews Air. Cmde. Terry van Haren (Retd.), President of LeoLabs Australia. LeoLabs, a commercial space situational awareness company, was recently in the news when its global array of ground-based radars detected a Chinese spy reusable spaceplane carrying out rendezvous and proximity operations with another object, demonstrating in-orbit propulsive activity, formation flying, change of altitude and docking. Interstellar interviews van Haren where he speaks about the significant capabilities of the Chinese spaceplane, the abilities of LeoLabs to detect such rendezvous and proximity operations, the significance of a commercial company bringing…
Who are the stakeholders in the Indian space program? Scientists? Technologists? Entrepreneurs? Government? Or is the stakeholder list much more comprehensive? To answer these questions, we bring to you an exclusive report produced by Interstellar from its special coverage of the DEFSAT 2023 Conference & Expo organised by Satcom Industry Association – India in cooperation with the Centre for Joint Warfare Studies, Centre for Air Power Studies, and Centre for Land Warfare Studies. In the previous episode of this 2-part video series, we interviewed India’s leading strategic thinkers. In this episode, we cast a wider net. We have interviewed a…
Why is a strong space security apparatus needed for a strong space economy? What issues must be addressed for India to establish a space defence force? Who would finance the R&D of dual-use technologies? How is the Indian military ensuring preparedness for space security? And what was special about the table-top simulation that the Indian private space sector participated in with the Indian military? Interstellar brings all this and more exclusively for our viewers from its coverage of the DEFSAT 2023 Conference & Expo organised by Satcom Industry Association – India in cooperation with the Centre for Joint Warfare Studies,…
In this longish episode of Orbital Rendezvous, we interview Paul Szymanski. Paul is a noted space military strategist with years of experience collaborating with the US space military ecosystem, including the Department of Defense, for decades. Paul is an expert in space warfare theory, policy, doctrine, strategies & tactics. He shares his revealing insights on the various space wars fought in the past, a realist’s view of dual-use space commercialisation, how the Outer Space Treaty might be rendered obsolete, and much more.
Ambassador Bhaskar Balakrishnan who is also the Fellow for Science Diplomacy, Research and Information System gives his thoughts on the challenges governing space today at the DefSat Conference and Expo. Excerpts What should be India’s role in space? International cooperation is a strategic area for a space programme. India has always recognised the importance of working with international partners. Areas like climate change impacts on earth, space science and planetary exploration need international cooperation. India is pursuing bilateral and multilateral relations with space agencies and space-related bodies for new scientific and technological challenges; refining space policies and defining international frameworks…
A lunar lander developed by Japanese startup iSpace, named Hakuto-R, descended to the moon’s surface after a journey of several months. However, during the final stages of the mission, the lander went out of contact and was presumed lost. ispace CEO Takeshi Hakamada confirmed that they could not complete the landing, and ground controllers in Tokyo tried to re-establish communications, but to no avail. Despite this setback, Hakamada said they would continue their lunar quest and try again. Hakuto-R, named after the mythical white rabbit on the moon, was launched into space in December 2022 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9…
The US Space Force has announced the addition of five new intelligence squadrons to keep up with foreign competitors in space. Officials say these new squadrons will help the US better understand the space domain and the potential threats. Colonel Brett Swigert, commander of the Space Force’s Space Delta 7, stated that the US military had taken its “eyes off the ball” regarding gathering intelligence about other governments’ space activities. Swigert said that the US had been focused on counterterrorism and the Global War on Terror battle over the last two decades and has missed competitors’ progress in space. The…
The UAE’s space probe Hope has captured the first high-resolution images of the far side of Mars’s moonlet Deimos. According to mission scientists, this observation adds weight to the theory that Deimos formed with Mars rather than as an asteroid that Mars captured in its orbit. The Emirates Mars Mission (EMM), also known as Hope, conducted a fly-by of Deimos on March 10. EMM science lead Hessa Al Matroushi reported the results at the European Geosciences Union meeting in Vienna on April 24. Al Matroushi explained that Hope’s high and elongated orbit, which reaches over 40,000 kilometres above Mars’s surface…
Ecuador has joined the list of countries using satellites from Elon Musk’s Starlink company to provide broadband connections across all 24 provinces of the country. Vianna Maino, the Minister of Telecommunications and the Information Society welcomed the company, stating that Starlink has already assigned 15 satellites for exclusive use in Ecuador since April 1. The satellite internet will provide better connectivity to remote areas and promote work, income generation, and access to knowledge and information. During the launch event held in the Galapagos Islands, Starlink’s Vice President, Chad Gibbs, connected via video conference from the United States and thanked Ecuador…
