Deccan Herald | For India, a new frontier in satellite internet

In today’s information age, internet connectivity has emerged as a critical marker of development. The internet is at the heart of the globally connected economy and society, giving the means to transmit information from anywhere, to anywhere, in real-time. The digital economy runs on the internet. On that account, internet infrastructure becomes vital. Satellite internet infrastructure augments traditional internet’s reach and resilience.

By Ashwin Prasad

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The Hindu | Implications of the AI Diffusion Framework

India has set ambitious goals for its space programme in the next two decades. These goals hinge on powerful, reusable rockets such as the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)’s upcoming Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV). In addition to the NGLV, India must tap into its private sector to develop more such rockets in order to secure strategic autonomy in its access to outer space.

By Ashwin Prasad

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Outlook Business | How Satellite Internet Can Bridge India’s Digital Divide and Expand Its Strategic Heft

Recent events in India highlight the growing prevalence of satellite-based internet technologies. In the Northeast state of Manipur, Indian security forces recovered a Starlink dish and router with weapons during a raid. This is not an isolated occurrence; another Starlink device was recently found in a drug-bust off the Andaman coast. Authorities suspect that these devices were smuggled in from Myanmar, where Starlink is reportedly active despite lacking regulatory approval. It is likely being used to circumvent government-imposed internet restrictions there. These incidents highlight the potential as well as the penetration of space-based technologies like satellite internet.

By Ashwin Prasad & Rakshith Shetty

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The Hindu | Implications of the AI Diffusion Framework

The Biden-Harris administration unveiled a flurry of policies in their last week in office. The most extraordinary among them is the Framework for Artificial Intelligence (AI) Diffusion. It has many goals: preserving U.S. hegemony in AI technology, balancing innovation and national security, and deterring U.S. adversaries from harvesting the strategic rewards of AI. These goals signal the U.S.’s strategic vision for AI, heralding its transformative potential to advance economic prowess and military dominance in the coming years.

By Ashwin Prasad

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News18 | ‘Catching’ Innovation: What India Can Learn From SpaceX’s Latest Triumph

Embrace risk, support long-term thinking, and create ecosystems that turn ambitious dreams into reality.

What would an Indian SpaceX look like? Perhaps it’s not in space at all, but in renewable energy, biotechnology, or quantum computing. The key is that ambitious innovators need an environment where they can take big risks, fail fast, and keep pushing boundaries. This means rethinking everything, from our bankruptcy laws to our education system. We need to transform India’s innovation ecosystem from a permission-based system to a performance-based one, and move away from subjective approvals to objective criteria, much like how SpaceX operates under clear FAA guidelines rather than case-by-case permissions.

By Arindam Goswami and Ashwin Prasad

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Deccan Herald | A Strategic Thrust To Space Beyond Borders

As space activities grow beyond the traditional state-led programs, policy is beginning to catch up. On October 17, the US government eased space-related export controls to expand its commercial sector's reach. However, trade liberalisation in the space sector should evolve beyond allowing hardware sales. International cooperation between the US and its allies can distribute the space technology supply chains beyond national borders across trusted geographies. When spread across globally, technology development will reduce costs, enable specialisation, facilitate innovation, increase production rates and promote geopolitical stability on Earth and beyond.

By Ashwin Prasad

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The Print | Govt’s Rs 1000 cr Fund for Space Sector has Drawbacks. It Should Bet on Outcomes, Not Ideas

Government as an anchor customer provides a stable source of demand for space-based services, reducing uncertainties in the market. It can boost investor confidence in the Indian space sector, attracting investments from home and abroad.

By Ashwin Prasad

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Mint | Private sector participation in LVM3 production could mean a space sector boom

In a recent keynote address at a US- India Business Council event, the chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro), S. Somnath, spoke about the retirement of the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (Nasa) Space Shuttle programme in 2011. For three decades, the Space Shuttle had ferried astronauts and satellites, even aided in building the International Space Station (ISS).  Read the full article here.

Firstpost | Agnikul’s first test flight: Time for private sector to be wings of Indian space industry

Agnikul’s first rocket, Agnibaan SOrTeD, completed its maiden suborbital test flight, marking a significant milestone for the Indian private space industry.

Accessing space is now easier than ever, creating new growth and innovation opportunities. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has developed the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle ( SSLV ) to enable quick and flexible on-demand launches, complementing its existing fleet of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicles (PSLV) and Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicles (GSLV) for heavier payloads. Read the full article here.

Deccan Herald | New guidelines could hamper India’s promising space industry

On May 3, space regulator Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) released new guidelines and procedures for space activity. These guidelines may have a detrimental effect on India’s emerging private space sector. Read the full article here.

The Diplomat | China’s Military-Civil Fusion Space Program

On April 17, NASA chief Bill Nelson cautioned that China’s “so-called civilian space program is a military program,” emphasizing that the United States is engaged in a space “race” with China. While NASA may have its reasons for securitizing this issue, one cannot overlook China’s rapid advancements in the space sector. China’s objective is to develop and acquire advanced dual-use technology for military purposes and deepen the reform of its national defense science and technology industries, which also serves a broader purpose of strengthening the country’s comprehensive national power. Read the full article here.

Firstpost | How private sector can propel a new wave of space revolution in India

The Government of India amended the FDI policy for the space sector on 5 March 2024. This has liberalised thresholds for various space-related activities. This change comes on the heels of a slew of space reforms by the government that began in 2020. The reforms created a fertile ground for the cropping up of many space start-ups in the country but did not address their funding needs. While the FDI reforms have the potential to address this deficiency, they are insufficient in a vacuum. India’s share of the global space economy is $8 billion, and the government aims for a five-fold increase by 2040. To achieve this, the government will have to place larger bets. Read the full article here.

The Diplomat | China Revises PLA Regulations to Focus on ‘Conscious Discipline’

As a code of conduct for the PLA, the revised regulations are further expected to emphasize combat effectiveness as the military’s top priority.

By Anushka Saxena

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Money Control | Locust invasion threat demands India-Pakistan co-operation

As the locust breeding season approaches, both India and Pakistan must depoliticise locust management and prioritise it as a humanitarian imperative. Using technology like drones, weather models, and AI predictions to track, forecast and control the movements of locusts to protect crops

By Rakshith Shetty and Keerthi Shree

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Indian Express | The colonial era of AI is here — India must chart its own course

The Paris AI Action Summit, with its impressive array of declarations and initiatives, could not mask a deeper geopolitical reality: We have entered the colonial era of artificial intelligence, where corporate sovereignty increasingly trumps national sovereignty, and global governance and ethics have been put on the backburner while still being paid lip service. The final declaration by the real power players— the US and the UK — speaks volumes. They are the tech giants who have effectively colonised the digital frontier.

By Arindam Goswami

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Moneycontrol | India rolls out the red carpet for private nuclear firms

France and India last week declared an intent to partner each other to develop advanced modular nuclear reactors and SMRs. Juxtaposed with the recent union budget’s proposals to rework India’s legal framework for nuclear energy and set a rather ambitious capacity addition target, there’s a clear signal to the private sector to step in.

By Lokendra Sharma

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Money Control | US BioSecure Act: Impact on India and Biotech Opportunities in Supply Chain Shifts

The BioSecure Act seeks to reduce US-China biotech ties, creating the potential for India to become a biomanufacturing hub. However, India's biotech sector must overcome challenges in innovation, regulatory standards, and technology to attract businesses shifting from China.

By Anisree Suresh

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Firstpost | Paris AI Summit: How Indo-French partnership can be a rule maker for future innovations

As co-chair of the AI Action Summit in Paris, India, under the prime ministership of Narendra Modi, has the opportunity to kickstart a new chapter in global technological cooperation. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has a pervasive impact across different sectors. In that sense, it is a general-purpose technology (GPT), to borrow the term from Jeffrey Ding’s GPT Diffusion Theory, which promises to reshape various sectors. Nations are grappling with both its enormous potential and inherent challenges. Now is the time to come together and collaborate on setting a strong foundation for the years to come.

With its considerable experience in building and running a vast digital public infrastructure, coupled with a workforce that has proven expertise in software development, India could become an important voice in the global AI discourse

By Arindam Goswami

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Moneycontrol | Despite its laudable intent, One Nation One Subscription is not a silver bullet

The laudable intent of the One Nation One Subscription notwithstanding, it may not solve the problem of knowledge creation for educational institutions in tier 2 and tier 3 cities of India. A holistic approach for such institutions is required.

By Lokendra Sharma and Shambhavi Naik

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Firstpost | Creative insecurity: What India can learn from Chinese DeepSeek saga

DeepSeek benefitted from a supportive structural Chinese research and development ecosystem that existed for several decades. Also, Xi Jinping’s vision for a ‘Chinese Dream’ and national rejuvenation is rooted in technological supremacy

By Arindam Goswami and Shobhankita Reddy

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