Why the Time is now
Why does TeamIndus want to go to the Moon? Mankind has already been there, after all. Why should India do what was done many decades ago by the United States and USSR? In any case, why is a private company stepping into the domain of national space agencies?
Over the last few years, I have had to answer many mutations of these questions, probably far more often than I would have liked to. Over the next few weeks I shall try to answer some of them here.
A peek at history
The de-escalation of the space-race from the days of the Apollo and Luna Missions started way before the cold war ended. Exploration of space gave way to conversations on usability. Through the eighties and the nineties satellites became the centrepiece of the idea of space.
Humanity is now going through a resurgence of interest in space exploration. A new generation of entrepreneurs like Elon Musk have shattered the status quo and have triggered a renewal of the idea that mankind could one day become a space-faring species. Those days of adventure aren’t far if announcements like the one last week from SpaceX about two Americans signing up to orbit the Moon is anything to go by.
Today’s science fiction is tomorrow’s reality
We at TeamIndus believe that the early part of the next decade will see mankind taking its first steps on Mars. And unlike our journey to the Moon, mankind is unlikely to be happy with just a handful of men setting foot there.
The Moon, as the nearest outpost, is by default the first stepping stone in this journey to make our species sustainably space-faring in the long run. Some futurists suggest that the Moon could be a kind of highway stop for humans who travel to Mars and beyond in the future.
Should we in India want to be passive onlookers?
India is at an inflection point when it comes to leading the global narrative. The country is and will continue to reap dividends thanks to an ideal mix of young demographics, increasing digital connectivity and the unshakeable foundation of democracy. For many years ISRO has been pushing the envelope on behalf of all of us in India. It is time that Indian entrepreneurs helped share that responsibility.
TeamIndus comes out of this latent desire and realisation that it is time to redefine India’s journey into space. Now is the time for such endeavours because the existence of a multitude of enabling systems and socio-economic support structures have triggered a latent, aspirational desire to imagine, build and own the future.
Over time, greater private participation will bring in massive efficiency and also push down the cost of space based activities — including launching satellites, flying to the Moon and other celestial bodies while enhancing our capabilities here on Earth. The more people work on solving these problems, the better it will be for India. Space enterprise has the potential to start a new wave of job creation, not unlike the information technology boom.
Our Google Lunar XPrize journey
When we embarked on this mission, we were clear that our participation in the Google Lunar XPrize was not so much about the prize money as it was about catalysing private enterprise in space in the country. Entrepreneurs coming into any sector has helped bring energy into that sector — think of how the internet opened up possibilities after originally being a government project.
Irrespective of who wins, this competition will push innovation in the sector and we hope our participation in it will fuel a new generation of Indian entrepreneurs with ambition and aspiration so that not one but many TeamIndus’ are created.
Follow Rahul Narayan on Twitter: @TeamIndusLead
Be The Change. #HarIndianKaMoonshot
