A world-renowned space scientist, fondly known as the Moon Man of India, Mylswamy Annadurai, former director at the ISRO Satellite Centre, led iconic space missions like Chandrayaan 1, Mangalyaan, and Chandrayaan 2, and paved the way for India to join the ranks of space-faring nations. Annadurai"s team at ISRO changed the course of space research with the revolutionary discovery of water on the Moon and the successful launch of a mission to Mars in the first attempt. In an exclusive conversation on Forbes India Pathbreakers, Annadurai talks on a range of issues including opportunities for space tech entrepreneurs, the possibility of human colonies on the Moon and Mars, the discovery of exoplanets, and the likelihood of life in the Universe. Edited excerpts from the conversation:
Annadurai says ISRO was taking baby steps in space exploration when he joined in 1982. “We were launching satellites, and we got thinking about what more we can do. I scribbled a note on software satellite simulator just a few weeks after joining. Our director, Prof UR Rao, in a matter of two days gave us the green light provided I was ready to take the responsibility for it and complete the project with the given resources. With this I got my next promotion. That’s how we started with very modest baby steps. With each step we found the courage to step beyond," he recalls.
The first challenging mission was Chandrayaan 1. “Though we were the seventieth mission to go to the Moon we made a pathbreaking discovery of water on the Moon. Between Chandrayaan 1 and Chandrayaan 2 there were some setbacks in the progress of our projects," Annadurai recounts. “There was a need for course correction. We had a good amount of hardware for the Moon mission. Then we had a freak idea if we could take a similar path for Mars. That was just a spark of an idea."
However, the space scientist points out, many developed countries like USA, Russia, Japan, and Europe had attempted this in the past. To execute the idea, the team at ISRO would have to rejig the hardware developed for a mission to the Moon to go to Mars instead.
“This was a tall order requirement and the time available from start to finish was only 14 months. From time to budget to technology it was a tall order. We took this challenge and when we launched the mission in September 2014, we became the first country to successfully launch a satellite in the Mars orbit in our first attempt and under very modest circumstances. This re-triggered the imagination of Indians and other countries also looked up to us. This helped us launch a good number of satellites commercially for other countries. In this way Chandrayaan and Mangalyaan missions gave a face to India’s space programme and gave India’s youth the belief that this can be done in the country," he reminisces.
Countries are aggressively investing in space exploration to tilt the balance of power. For example, China’s space programme broke its previous record when a Long March 2D rocket successfully launched 41 satellites in orbit on June 15. Recently, there were media reports of a mysterious Chinese spaceship landing after nine months in orbit on a secret mission.
Annadurai says India has done reasonably well: “India could not reap the benefits of the Industrial Revolution. But we cannot lag behind in the Space Revolution as mere spectators. I can tell you India has been a pioneer in many ways in how space can be used as a vantage point and satellites used for navigation, weather predictions, security, natural resources. We are acknowledged world over for what we have managed to achieve with our budget. Space will play a role in the geopolitical order. Technologically, we are as good as any other country as far as space programmes are concerned."
Changes in government regulations are also opening up new opportunities for space tech entrepreneurs. “Their enthusiasm is good and they are also capable. But we need a vibrant ecosystem which can take these entrepreneurs and connect everyone for end-to-end solutions. Let everybody have a slice of the cake. The cake is very big. From making the satellite, testing it, launching it, and operating it post launch," notes Annadurai based on his interaction with budding founders and CEOs.
Besides ISRO, startups and several private players are eyeing an opportunity in the area of launching satellites. “If we are able to build an ecosystem in and around Kulasekarapattinam then we can launch satellites on demand for other nations as well. This is a very good opportunity for new startups. Gone are the days when you need to make a bigger satellite or launch vehicle. We are slowly phasing that out. Now everything is small and smarter," Annadurai explains.
Annadurai points out that more than 3,000 satellites were launched in space in the last three years or so for global communication. Each satellite has a limited lifespan. “Once its life is over, we must be able to replace it at the earliest. To that end, we need small launch vehicles that are available on demand. For this we have a geographically good location in the southern part of India. It had a setback but we will soon come out of it. With that combination we will be able to give on-demand launch with 24 hours’ notice. This is theoretically possible," Annadurai adds.
First Published: Jun 23, 2023, 11:26
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