The Indian Space Programme – British Interplanetary Society – London 29 November 2018

BIS member Gurbir Singh will be talking about his latest book, The Indian Space Programme, India’s incredible journey from the Third World towards the First. Published on 4 October 2017, The Indian Space Programme is probably the most detailed book on India’s space programme consisting of 17 chapters, 600+ pages, 140+ illustrations, 8 appendices, 20+ tables and 1000+ endnotes.

“a significant addition to the existing body of literature on the Indian Space Program“. Indian Defence Review

“This book is unique and as such is worth every penny or dollar and is an inspiration to a new generation who may themselves be inspired by the achievements so well documented and written up in this accessible tome. As a book, it is a fascinating read and as a reference tool, it is one I know that I will have continually on my bookshelf. Some 100 pages of more than 1,000 references make this book an invaluable asset which I cannot commend too highly.” Amazon Review

“A true scholarly, and authoritative history. A landmark book.” Dr Allan Chapman, Wadham College” University of Oxford.

Today, India’s space program is delivering on the vision of its founder Vikram Sarabhai, that Space Services should touch the lives of the ordinary people of India. With every orbit of India’s growing number of satellites, the quality of the lives of millions of Indians is enhanced by space-based services in agriculture, healthcare, commerce, communication and education.

Over the last half-century, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has constructed a substantial collection of weather and communication satellites delivering tsunami, typhoon and flood warnings, search and rescue services and direct-to-home television broadcasts. ISRO sent a spacecraft to the Moon in 2008, to Mars in 2013 and placed a space telescope in Earth’s orbit in 2016. Of the 1167 satellites in orbit, 75 were made in India, and 35 are in operation today. The space program is the epitome of India’s journey from the third to the first world.

This book provides the big picture of India’s long association with science, from historical figures like Aryabhata and Bhaskara to Homi Bhabha and Vikram Sarabhai, the key architects of its modern space program. It traces the technological development of Tipu Sultan’s use of rockets in large-scale warfare in the 1780s; the all but forgotten contribution of Stephen H Smith who established a world record by transporting parcels and livestock by rocket power in 1935 in northern India; the detailed first-hand account of India’s first space launch in 1963 from those who were present at the time and concludes by looking at ISRO’s current and future goals.

Key questions about the Indian Space Research Organisation are answered in the pages of this book. What type of launchers has it developed? How are the ordinary people of India benefitting? How did ISRO go to the Moon and Mars? What are the prospects for India’s ambitions for human spaceflight, military and science projects? Will India compete or collaborate with China, USA and Russia?

Richly illustrated with pictures, many published for the first time, this one book written for the non-specialist offers a comprehensive view of India’s space program – its history, current status and future ambitions, all in one place.

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