Cooperation, sustainability, inclusivity must be priorities in space: PM

Srinagar, Sep 10: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said India supports a safe, peaceful and sustainable space ecosystem based on international law, dialogue and multilateral cooperation, and stressed that the benefits of space technology should be used transparently for the welfare of humanity.
Addressing the first International Space Summit through video conference, Modi said space has been at the centre of human imagination and exploration for centuries, but space technology today directly impacts several aspects of life on Earth, including weather, agriculture, oceans, natural resources and human settlements.
He said the possibilities in space were limitless, but the international community also had a shared responsibility to ensure that the growing use of outer space remained sustainable and beneficial to all.
“As orbits become more crowded, technologies more powerful and the number of countries and entities involved in space activities increases, we must be clear about our priorities,” Modi said.
He called for giving priority to “cooperation over confrontation, sustainability over short-term gains, and inclusivity over exclusion”.
Linking India’s space programme with the philosophy of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” — One Earth, One Family, One Future — the Prime Minister said the spirit should now extend beyond Earth into outer space.
Modi said India supports the creation of a safe, secure, peaceful and sustainable space ecosystem through international law, dialogue and multilateral cooperation.
He said India’s space journey reflected this philosophy and that the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) had established a strong global identity through its high-capability and cost-effective space missions.
Space technology, he said, was benefiting farmers and fishermen, improving weather forecasting, supporting disaster management and strengthening navigation services.
The Prime Minister said more than 430 satellites belonging to 34 countries had so far been launched into space using Indian rockets.
He said ISRO’s technologies and international partnerships were serving not only India’s interests but also contributing to the wider global good.
Modi credited generations of Indian scientists, engineers and technical experts for the country’s achievements in space, saying their sustained efforts had helped India secure a prominent position among the world’s major space powers.
He highlighted the Chandrayaan-3 mission, saying India became the first country to successfully land near the Moon’s south polar region.
Referring to India’s future space ambitions, Modi said the country aims to establish its own space station by 2035 and send an Indian astronaut to the Moon by 2040.
He said the larger objective of India’s space programme was to ensure that the benefits of space development reached humanity as a whole.
The Prime Minister also said India’s private space sector was expanding rapidly and that the energy and entrepreneurial capabilities of private companies, combined with ISRO’s scientific expertise, were giving fresh momentum to the country’s space programme.
Highlighting India’s cooperation with France in the space sector, Modi said France had been a trusted partner since the early years of India’s space programme, including the launch of the country’s space activities from Thumba in the 1960s.
He said cooperation between the two countries had now expanded from Earth observation to advanced space technologies.
Modi invited France and other countries to partner with India in its upcoming space missions and stressed the need to combine scientific excellence with a larger human purpose. (KNS)