Realising the economic and strategic potential of global space, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday launched “Mission DefSpace” for developing innovative solutions for the Armed Forces.

The Prime Minister made public the mission at the DefExpo and stated, “Space technology is an example of what security will mean for any strong nation in the future. Various challenges in this area have been reviewed and identified by the three services. We have to work fast to solve them”.

It will, commented Modi, not only encourage innovation and strengthen the forces but also provide new and innovative solutions. The space technology is shaping new definitions of India's space diplomacy, giving rise to new possibilities, he stated.

Reaching new heights

There are more than 60 developing countries with whom India is sharing its space science. “The South Asia satellite is an effective example of this. By next year, ten ASEAN countries will also get real-time access to India's satellite data. Even developed countries like Europe and America are using our satellite data”, he added.

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Defence Minister Rajnath Singh emphasised that national security has always been accorded top priority by the government. “Land, water and sky are already witness to the valour of our military, but now we are expanding our defence capabilities by reaching the depths of the ocean in the form of Under Water Domain Awareness and heights of space as Aero-Space force,” he said. Under Mission DefSpace, 75 challenges are being opened to get innovative solutions, based on the defence requirements in the space domain, Singh pointed out.

Indian Space Association Director, Lt Gen Ak Bhatt (retired) said that for the first time private industry is getting an opportunity to participate in space area. “Defence space challenges, which have been worked with the Services, MOD along with private industry and IPSA, are primarily aimed at making a range of defence applications to enhance the capability of the three Services,” Lt Gen AK Bhatt said.

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