Bengaluru: Private players in space technology will certainly help speed up the research in the field, Indian Space Research Organisation chairman S Somanath has said while interacting with space enthusiasts, through the official Instagram page of ISRO.
Replying to an observation that SpaceX, a private entity, has contributed more to space technology than most countries, Somanath on Saturday said America’s tradition of encouraging private companies to involve themselves in building rocket engines and, in the case of SpaceX, to explore human flight vehicles can be replicated by India.
He said these companies are playing a crucial role in advancing technology, reducing costs and making space more accessible.
It is possible for even private companies in India to develop these kinds of capabilities, he added.
However, he said this is only possible if the government supports the private entity, “For instance, some of the technology that is owned by NASA is transferred to Space X so that they could develop faster. This is why SpaceX has made such strides, it had nearly 45 launches this year,” said Somanath.
He said already there are two companies working in India – Skyroot Aerospace and Agnikul Cosmos. “We are all excited to see India going this way. These companies have already tested launch vehicles. It is an interesting development,” said the ISRO chairman.
Answering a question on Chandrayaan-4, Somanath also shared an update on India’s next moon mission.
According to him, Chandrayaan-4 mission is being developed as a continuation of the Chandrayaan series.