INDIA EMERGING SPACE PROGRAM

This article reviews the history and development of India's space prog ram, analyzes the capabilities of its space assets, and examines their political, economic and geostrategic aspects. In the thirty year peri od since its inception in the 1960s, India's space capability has prog ressed gradually from launching light scientific payloads into low orb its, to being able to launch more useful remote-sensing (reconnaissanc e) satellites to mid-altitude orbits. India will soon have the capacit y to launch even heavier communications satellites to higher geostatio nary orbits (GEO). India's space program is thus emerging out of its d eveloping stages and stands poised to join the ranks of a select group of states that can not only build but launch their own satellites to GEO. Influenced by changing political and economic circumstances, Indi a's space assets have found varying applications - they have been util ized for socioeconomic development, to fulfill political objectives, a nd have produced military spin-offs and commercial applications. India 's space assets are no-cv sufficiently advanced to find applications f or power projection and force multiplication, achieved through satelli te reconnaissance, intelligence and communications. India's increasing capabilities in this field, combined with the modernization of India' s conventional forces, will by the turn of the century, begin to affec t the strategic relationships between India and its traditional advers aries, Pakistan and China. Such shifts in the regional balance of powe r will have important security implications for the Asia-Pacific and I ndian Ocean regions.