Space Diplomacy Of India In ASEAN – Free PDF Download

• Dimensions of the topic
• As part of Space co-operation between India and the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean), India has started work on etablishing a ground station, payload data reception, processing and dissemination facility in Vietnam.

• ISRO’s roots stretch backto 1962, when India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, enlisted physicist Vikram Sarabhai to set up the Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR). Sarabhai is known as the founding father of India’s space program because of this effort. 

1. Founder: Vikram Sarabhai
2. Founded: 15 August 1969
3. Headquarters: Bengaluru
4. Director: Kailasavadivoo Sivan
5. Subsidiary: Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre
6. Parent organization: Department of Space

ISRO Ground Station

• The aim of the this ground station is to provide a reliable operational space-based system for remote sensing over the ASEAN countries like Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam.

Background

• India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi had pushed the idea of a ground station in Vietnam in the year 2015 at India ASEAN meeting at Nay Pyi Taw in Myanmar. Following that, this year India told the UN Security Council its vision of the free and open Indo Pacific region.

About the Ground Station

• The ground station would be built on four hectare of land at My Phuoc 3 industrial park, in Binh Doung province of Vietnam.
• It would have a 11m antenna which will be installed by ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network, also called ISTRAC

• The project’s land has been acquired by the Vietnamese Government ahead of ISTRAC floating an expression of interest (EOI) from bidders for construction of the facility.
• The cost estimated for the project is 86 billion Vietnamese dollars and it would take 18 months to complete the work.
• Antenna support structure is spread across 75 sq metres
• The facility would be spread across 1235 sqm.

Strategic Importance

• This facility would be helpful for India and ISRO already has ground stations in various places like Bengaluru, Lucknow, Mauritius, Sriharikota, Port Blair, Thiruvananthapuram, Brunei, Biak.

• ISRO Telemetry Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) provides support of the TTC ground stations, communications network between ground stations and control center, control center including computers, storage, data network and control room facilities, and the support of Indian Space Science Data Center (ISSDC) for the mission. 
• The ground segment systems form an integrated system supporting both launch phase, and orbital phase of the mission.

What is Space Diplomacy?

• The art and practise of using space to conduct foreign affairs and advance national interests is Space Diplomacy.
• Space has emerged as a new venue for global powers to compete and create dominance in competition and cooperation. The highly complex space technology offers international recognition, status and projects its soft-power.

Indian initiatives in Space Diplomacy 

• India has also allowed SAARCcountries to use its regional positioning system NAVIC.
• India has also collaborated with other countries, example- NISAR.
• India collaborated with NASAduring its Chandrayan Mission which found water on the moon.
• The ISRO also established the India-Myanmar Friendship Centre for Remote Sensing in 2001

Question:

Which was the first satellite launched by ISRO?
a) Kalpana-1
b) Bhaskara
c) Aryabhata
d) Sputnik

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