How India’s successful space program reflects the cultural ethos of the country
If a broadcast in India scores more rating point than the India Pakistan world cup cricket match, it has to be noteworthy. Thus, the live telecast of ISRO’s Chandrayaan 2 mission and the lamentable loss of signal from the Vikram lander qualifies as one of the major cultural events in 2019 India. Along with Dhoni’s run out, the graph which denoted the lost communication from the lander and a watery eyed Dr. K. Sivan broke lakh of hearts in the country; flooding the social media with posts and memes from Indians who had turned space enthusiasts overnight. Exponential tech advancement along with private entrepreneurial spirit have breathed a new life in the space race globally. On fleek, India recently announced major reforms which in effect opens the industry to private players, setting the stage for a desi SpaceX and Blue Origin to take wings. Culturally, cosmology has been an integral part of the Indian collective conscious, and of late the achievements of our space agency has been much celebrated. Indian space program has in effect developed a distinct style and imagination for itself, differentiating it from the various other national space agencies and private players.
Humble Exploration not Alpha Domination
Unlike the western world where space program developed as a proxy front during the cold war, the Indian space program was primarily born out of the inherent fascination to explore the world beyond. For people in this part of the world, life on earth and the larger cosmology have been intertwined; modern Indians still use the cosmic star chart “kundli” to make important decisions, whereas in the west stars guided the more practical endeavors of navigation and exploration. The difference between the space imagined as a front to dominate vis a vis space as an exploration arena is reflected in the symbolism and language of US and Indian space agency. While NASA sounds authoritative as a “space administration” body and SpaceX as a dystopian space colonizer, ISRO styles itself as a “research organization” which has a more collaborative aura about it. While the logo of the former connotes the idea of stamping authority on planets and stars, ISRO’s logo is that of a humble satellite propelling it’s way upwards. The names of the mission capture this point well; while “Apollo” and “Artemis” invoke the mighty Greek god who rule the stars, planets and the universe itself; Indian mission are named modestly and literally as space travelers; “Chandrayaan” or “Gaganyaan”. While the SpaceX has a sharp looking and confident sounding “Falcon” and “Starship”, Indian vehicles shun the fluff and stick to textbook names which are unimaginative but functionally relevant such as Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) or Geosynchronous Launch Vehicle (GSLV). While the developed world might be privileged kids fighting it out in the space race, Indians are the hard-working dark horse; driven by the passion for science and steadily making their way in the top league while gaining attention.
Scientists as Space Heroes
The popular imagination of space explorers in USA and Soviet have been their astronauts with a celebrated military/air force background. Representing the charming alpha male who were braving their life for their nation’s pride while being humorously sleek on national television turned the likes of Yuri Gagarin, the Mercury team and Neil Armstrong into national heroes. Contrary to the dare devil patriotism, the heroes of Indian space exploration have been her scientists. The foremost heroes of space in India have been the likes of Vikram Sarabhai and Satish Dhawan, visionaries whose efforts are reaping benefits today. One of the most respected and unanimously loved Indian in the post independent era is a space scientist, our former president APJ Abdul Kalam. The media attention in the wake of Mangalyaan and Chandrayaan made the ISRO head Dr. K. Sivan the latest hero of our space program. The fact that people from the southern part of India, a highly literate and academically inclined region, make up bulk of the scientific community in India reinforces the brain over muscle imagination. India has not undertaken a major manned mission in its own capacity, but the myth of the few Indian origin astronauts reinforces the soft Indian-ness; the sacrifice of Kalpana Chawla and her journey from a small town Haryana girl to a mission specialist or that of squadron leader Rakesh Sharma doing yoga in space and declaring India as “saare jahan se accha” after becoming the first countryman in space.
Jugaadu Space Tech
In the space exploration domain, India is viewed as the dark horse which has successfully punched above its weight. When NASA was putting men on moon, Indian scientists were carrying a borrowed rocket on cycle for their first launch. For a long time, highly skilled and trained Indians flocked to western space agencies because of lack of opportunity at home; space programs were seen as expensive first world undertaking and Indian technicians as skilled contractual labors, an idea captured in the movie Swades and its protagonist, Mohan Bhargav’s, various dilemmas. In a slow and gradual process, ISRO has built a commendable capacity for independent exploration and satellite launching capabilities; attracting global clients due to its relatively cheaper launch cost. An under-resourced India always found ways of making the most of whatever means it had at her disposal, and this “jugaad” ethos made its way to our space program. The Indian space agency is seen as one of the most efficient and cost-effective machineries in the world and poses a direct competition to the reusable rocket tech of SpaceX. ISRO’s PSLV made global headlines by launching 104 satellites in a single launch, a commendable global record and aptly coming from India with the country’s penchant of squeezing out the maximum value possible from its resources. The ISRO Mars mission which placed India in an elite space group was conducted on a shoestring budget, almost half of what was spent on the Hollywood space thriller “Gravity”. This was achieved through ingenious and smart tech innovations, memorably compared to the Indian habit of repurposing dinner for breakfast in the movie “Mission Mangal”. The diligent, cost efficient and precise approach towards its space mission has gained India a formidable global repute. Indian vehicles have become one of the mainstay launch vehicles for global companies looking to place their computers in earth’s orbit; and the efficient frugality born out of limited resources is to be hailed for that.
Space today is not just a fascinating frontier to explore the realm of the universe or limited to being a military brag medal; it is big business. The next generation of space heroes will be private entrepreneurs and civilian explorers. Falcon 9’s recent successful launch is a major step ahead in that direction. In the context of rocketing valuation of space startups, the liberalization of the space policy and industry in India is a welcome move. Private enterprise which had been limited to contract manufacturing for ISRO, now have the opportunity to be involved commercially throughout the value chain from design to launch. India has seen a growth in the number of space startups in the past few years, some of which have earned national recognition and global repute for their work. The likes of Team Indus, Dhruva Space, Pixxel, Bellatrix to name a few have secured a highly skilled team of technicians, sound funding and encouraging client contracts; and with the relaxation in policy and guidance of ISRO they are the spark for India’s bright future above the atmosphere. For this future facing sector; it will be imminent to hold together the legacy of Indian ethos in space exploration which is culturally ingrained and the reason for its present-day success while being in sync with the global cutting-edge tech developments.
