Entrepreneurship and networking in the space industry will be highlighted during a three-day international space conference with the theme “Space Technology: The Next Business Frontier.” The Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT- Madras) and the Indian Space Association (ISpA) are hosting a space conclave that will examine ways to maximise business opportunities and collaboration throughout the Indo-Pacific region and beyond. The event is organised by the US Consulate General in Chennai.
80 participants from various Indo-Pacific countries, including India, the US, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Germany, the UK, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia, will attend the three-day conclave from October 15 to 17. Drew Schufletowski, Minister Counselor for Economic, Environment, Science and Technology Affairs at the US Embassy in New Delhi, made the following remarks during the conclave’s opening session: “The private sector has the biggest room for expansion in both our and other Indo-Pacific partners’ space relations. Private companies are becoming more influential in the design and manufacture of launch vehicles, satellites, ground stations, and other essential components for space exploration and applications, which is transforming the Indian space industry.”
Added Schufletowski: “Indian companies are currently developing their own constellations of earth observation satellites and developing miniature launchers to put them into low-Earth orbit. Through partnerships in trade, investment, and technological cooperation, space companies in the United States and the Indo-Pacific can strengthen this commercial sector momentum.” The primary topics of space policy, scientific research and development, and space entrepreneurship will be covered during the three-day summit. The gathering aims to launch the Association of Space Entrepreneurs in the Indo-Pacific (ASEIP), a platform for networking and advocacy that focuses on entrepreneurship and innovation in the space industry. The stakeholders will suggest a future roadmap to encourage cross-border aerospace trade and interdisciplinary space research. The opening address was given by Satya Chakravarthy, an aerospace engineering professor and the head of IIT-Madras’ National Centre for Combustion Research and Development (NCCRD).
(source : IANS)
