Budget 2020: Thrust of space spending to be on Chandrayaan-3, Gaganyaan

Gaganyaan's first unmanned flight is planned for this year

ROCKET REP PTI Representational image | PTI

Space is going to be in focus for India this year, with two high-optic missions scheduled to take off. These missions are the third moon mission, Chandrayaan-3, which hopes to land a rover on the lunar surface, and Gaganyaan's first unmanned flight.

While the Centre had already allocated Rs 10,000 crore for Mission Gaganyaan, Chandrayaan-3 was not planned this early. The Indian Space Research Organisation had hoped to achieve complete mission success with Chandrayaan-2, but with the crash-landing of the lander on the lunar surface last July, India decided to send another moon mission, as soon as it is ready.

The outlay for space in the Union budget this year, therefore, is likely to be a substantial one. ISRO had already, in December, asked the Centre for an additional allocation of Rs 75 crore for Chandrayaan-3. Though the technology for this mission is more or less the same as that of Chandrayaan-2, scientists and engineers will have to do additional research and development work for ensuring that the flaws that led to the failure of the last mission are removed.

Also, the construction of the probe itself will cost money. Chandrayaan-3 will not have the orbiter, since there is already a functional one in lunar orbit. The scientists will have to sync the new lander with the orbiter once it lands.

While regular launches are conducted from the normal funds of ISRO, big missions get a separate allocation. Already from the Rs 10,000 crore for Gaganyaan, vast funds have been disbursed, with ISRO having had numerous MoUs with organisations like DRDO, the Indian Air Force and private sector enterprises for research, training and manufacturing of components for the mission.

Last year's space budget was Rs 12,473.26 crore, which was an increase of Rs 1,273 crore over the previous year. Of this, Rs 8,408 crore was under the head space technology and Gaganyaan. Since Mission Gaganyaan will continue till 2022, funds under this head will be disbursed under subsequent Union budgets. In 2018-19, the funds under space technology were Rs 6,993 crore.

Though India congratulates itself for its frugal space launches, team ISRO has never felt a fund constriction. There has always been money available for its projects, claims ISRO. It has, however, learnt to maximise the funds allocated.

With its space-faring ambitions getting bigger, however, India will have to spend more on infrastructure. One of the two big areas of expenditure is the setting up of the Human Space Laboratory, which will also provide crew module training to the astronauts. The project is pegged at a cost of Rs 2,000 crore and will have to be ready for the final phase of training for the astronauts. The initial training is being done in Russia, and will be spread over 11 months.

The other is the approval of a launchpad at Kulasekarapattinam in Tamil Nadu. Dr Jitendra Singh, minister of state, Prime Minister's Office, which also handles the space portfolio, recently announced in Parliament plans of setting up a new spaceport. This year's budget may give a token allocation for the project. The envisaged spaceport will be spread over 2,300 acres of land, and sources say the acquisition process may start soon.

The government had also announced the establishment of its new commercial arm, New Space India Limited, last year and there might be some allocation for that division, too.