A book chapter titled, Who is the vyomanaut? Understanding India’s human face in the new space race, penned by Sayantan Datta, Assistant Professor of Practice, Krew-CWP has been published in an ebook by The Hindu, titled India and the Second Space Race.
In this chapter, Sayantan reports on the upcoming launch of Gaganyaan, India’s first crewed space mission. Drawing upon the history of the cold war and the space race, Sayantan shows how the Gaganyaan mission is driven more by political symbolism instead of pure science. In doing so, Sayantan also shows how the mission’s aim of establishing an Indian identity in the stars is evidence for national prestige being still linked to a human presence in orbit.
About the Book
India and the Second Space Age is intended as an accessible guide through India’s ascent in the second Space Age. India is currently moving from a state-led monopoly towards a hybrid ecosystem. As the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) turns into a research-and-development unit, it will hand over the mantle of operational manufacturing and launch services to a burgeoning private sector, a shift that promises to unlock immense commercial value but also exposes the nation to unprecedented legal and diplomatic challenges. As India pursues human spaceflight and lunar mining, it must also reconcile its newfound desire for strategic prestige with the ethical demands of planetary protection. This collection provides a rigorous examination of these intersections. By analysing the structural, legal, and strategic choices currently reshaping the sector, this book serves as an essential record of how a nation, once celebrated for its “shoestring” successes, prepares to lead in an era where space is the latest frontier of global power.
