Charting the Future: ISRO's Ambitious Space Missions and India's Growing Influence

The Indian space industry has grown rapidly from humble beginnings.

Over a relatively short span of time, India has emerged as a prominent global player in space exploration. Over the past two decades, the world has been made aware of India’s space exploration prowess through successful missions such as Chandrayaan I (2008), Mangalyaan (2014), and ASTROSAT (2015). Notably, the recent successful moon landing of the Chandrayaan - III in August 2023 marked a significant achievement, making India the only country to land successfully on the unexplored south pole of the moon. With consistent satellite launches, lunar missions, and cost-effective space services, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) demonstrates a commitment to space innovation, technology, and exploration. This rapid advancement cements India's standing as a significant contender in the international space community.

The future of India’s space exploration aspirations looks bright

The successful landing of Chandrayaan was the culmination of years of R&D and learnings from previous successful and failed missions. The recent success tasted by ISRO has ushered in a new era in India’s space exploration chapter, and multiple missions have been slated for launch in the coming years.

At present, India’s space economy is valued at just over US$8 billion and represents 2% share in the global space economy. However, based on INSPACe’s projections, the Indian space exploration industry will contribute to 8% of the global space economy, and will be valued at over US$44 billion by 2033.

The growing industry will need to procedure top quality talent

Currently, the Indian space industry is at the cusp of explosive growth, and there has been growing interest in joining the space industry as a viable career. As per a survey conducted by Inmarsat, about 24% Indians are willing to join the space industry, which is higher compared to Germany (12%), US(10%) and UK (5%).

This is a favorable development as India aims to become a dominant player in the global space economy, and needs a motivated workforce to be a part of the movement. Despite the conducive market conditions,  there is a stark lack of education pathways which allow individuals to directly join the space industry. Today, the Indian space industry employs professionals with core engineering backgrounds including mechanical, aerospace, electrical and computer science engineering. Though professionals with such backgrounds do well in the sector, there is an intensive training program involved on the job which leads to lost time and opportunities. Offering a state-of-the-art space education program is the need of the hour if the country is to meet its space related targets, which include building a space station by 2035 and landing an astronaut on the moon by 2040.

IISc aims to produce top quality talent for the space industry.

Keeping the needs of the space industry in mind, India’s top ranked research institute, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore (IISc) has introduced an Advanced Certification Program in Space Technologies, in association with TalentSprint. This 6-month, executive friendly program is the only one of its kind, and includes over 130 hours of live lectures delivered by IISc faculty renowned for their expertise in the space domain. The program also offers a 3 day campus visit to the IISc campus, where participants can exchange ideas with their peers and experience the industry-aligned facilities available in the campus. Enrollments are open to professionals with one year of work experience and a bachelor's degree in engineering or science with at least 50% marks in graduation.

The program aims to create sector-specific talent for the space industry, and fills a wide vocational gap between the demands of the industry and availability of talent. The modules in this program provide a deep-dive into the various aspects of space faring, including Thermal management, Space based navigation and Design and Manufacturing for Space.

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The next decade is going to establish India as a major space economy in the world, and this status will be achieved through large-scale upskilling initiatives. As India strives towards greatness on a global scale, IISc is playing its part by providing opportunities to learn about the various technologies deployed in the space industry.

To learn more about the lucrative space sector and its promising future, consider visiting our Space Technologies page.