Discuss India's achievements in the field of Space Science and Technology. How the application of this technology has helped India in its socio-economic development?

        Indian achievements in Space Science and technology have been propelled by Indian Space Research Organization’s (ISRO). It has been hailed as one the most successful programmes. From India’s first satellite Aryabhatta (1975) to the development of indigenous cryogenic engine India has made significant advances with little help and no technology sharing from developed countries.

Some remarkable achievements are listed below,

        Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLU): One the most reliable and affordable launch vehicles. It has become the favorite launch vehicle of developed nations also. Its low cost and high reliability has gained it worldwide preference. Launch of 104 satellites by PSLV has set a world record.

        Chandrayaan and Mangalyaan: Indian missions to moon and mars put India on the global spotlight for its ability to undertake such complex mission with little support from outside. The low cost budget of Mangalyaan is an unprecedented feat in itself.

        NAVIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation) aims to provide reliable co-ordinates for military and civilian application. Only few nations have similar sattellities(USA-GPS; Russia-GLONASS ; China-BeiDou; EU- Galileo) .

        Development of fuel efficient Scramjet engine is considered as a feat which would further decrease the cost and allow launcher of heavier satellites at lesser cost.

         Though the applications of space technology are numerous there has not been even application in different fields. While communication satlilites have revolutionized the field, agri-sattilities have not had a similar impact. However, they have helped in socio-economic development in numerous fields.

        Remote sensing sattellities such as  RESOURCESAT have provided information about water bodies, cropping patterns, farm lands, forest cover, disaster management, drought management, flood forecasting, mineral prospecting, monitoring and supervision of mining, rural and urban spread etc. There inputs have enabled better policy decisions.

        Metrological saittelities such as SCATSAT and Automatic Weather Station (AWS) provide hourly information on critical weather parameters. These can help farmers by allowing them to cultivate in accordance with the expected weather patterns and planning for contingencies. Doppler weather Radars monitor severe weather events such as cyclone and heavy rainfall and enable early warning and evacuation.

        NAVIC through IRNSS (Indian regional Navigation System) will provide accurate real-time positioning and timing services not only to India but 1500 km around Indian borders. This will reduce Indian dependence on US GPS (Global Positioning System).

        Communication systems have grown and penetrated deeply because of satellite technology. INSA (Indian National Satellite) system is a multipurpose satellite. Communications system used for a range of functions including television broadcasting and meteorological imaging. It plays important role in delivering cyclone warning and in search and rescue operations. INSAT has enabled the spread of DTH internet services, e-governance applications.

        Telemedicine is another fart growing field which would bridge the urban-rural divide in the field of health case. It would prove last mile delivery of health services and compensate (at least partly) for the shortage of doctors in rural areas.

        Moreover, Revenue generation by commercial applications would also further enable the government to spend more to achieve socio-economic goals. ANTRIX, the commercial arm of ISRO has become one of the forerunners in grabbing deals because of its competitiveness and efficiency.