2018 proved to be one of the busiest years for Indian Space Research Organisation. <br /><br />From launching 31 satellites in one go to rolling plans about India’s second lunar exploration mission in 2019, the country took several steps to mark its presence among the top space explorers around the globe.<br /><br />The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) was on a launching spree in the last six months. Here’s a quick review of top 5 achievements by ISRO in 2018- <br /><br /><strong>India's mega satellite launch aboard PSLV-C43<br />
  
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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</strong><sup><em>(Image Credit- isro.gov.in)</em></sup><br />The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched its Hyperspectral Imaging Satellite (<keyword id="7066281" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="HySIS">HySIS</keyword>) along with 30 other foreign commercial satellites on 28th November from the Sriharikota launch centre using the PSLV C43 rocket. Hyperspectral imaging allows the satellites to identify objects from outer space.<br /><br />With the launch, S. Pandian, the director of Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR - ISRO, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/live-updates-isro-launch-hysis-psvl-43/liveblog/66858479.cms">said</a> that ISRO has achieved a landmark of launching 270 satellites from 28 countries.<br />
  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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<br /><strong>‘The Big Bird’, GSAT-11 — launched, to boost internet connectivity<br /></strong>
  
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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<em><sup>(Image credit- isro.gov.in)</sup></em><br />Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on 5 December <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/the-big-bird-india-marks-successful-launch-of-its-heaviest-satellite-gsat-11-onboard-space-vehicle-ariane-5/articleshow/66948736.cms">successfully launched </a>the country’s heaviest satellite GSAT-11 on board space vehicle Ariane 5 — that will advance the broadband connectivity in India from French Guiana.<br /><br />
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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<em><sup>(Image credit- isro.gov.in)</sup></em><br />With the launch of GSAT-11, India will be able to provide about 16 GBPS data link services across India, said NDTV citing ISRO Chairman K Sivan. <br /><br />
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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<strong><br /><keyword id="7026003" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="gsat-29">GSAT-29</keyword>, heaviest rocket launched <br />
  
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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</strong><em><sup>(Image credit- isro.gov.in)</sup><br /></em>India also <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india-successfully-launches-communication-satellite-gsat-29-using-its-heaviest-rocket/articleshow/66623518.cms">launched</a> its latest communication satellite GSAT-29 to bridge the digital divide of users including those in Jammu &amp; Kashmir and North Eastern regions of India on 14th November. <br /><br />The GSAT-29 onboard Ka/Ku-band high throughput communication transponders that will help internet users in India meet their communication requirements. <br /><br />
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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<br /><strong>"Mission Accomplished": India puts <keyword id="6838588" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="gsat-7a">GSAT-7A</keyword> into orbit<br />
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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</strong><em><sup>(Image credit- isro.gov.in)</sup></em><br />The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on 19th December successfully <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india-successfully-places-the-angry-bird-satellite-into-orbit/articleshow/67171462.cms">launched</a> a GSAT-7A, a military communication satellite dedicated to the Indian Air Force. GSAT-7A will boost the communication capabilities of the Indian Air Force and may also monitor unmanned aerial vehicles and drone of IAF. <br /><br />
	
	
	
	
	
	
	













	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
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<br /><strong>A ride to space in 2019<br /></strong><br />In a first, PM Narendra Modi <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india-is-spending-1-4-billion-on-a-space-trip-and-there-are-bigger-plans-involved/articleshow/65591318.cms">announced</a> a deadline for India’s first manned space. He claimed that Indian Space Research Organisation will be sending an astronaut by 2022. <br /><br />While the country is still working on achieving its dream project, what grabbed everyone’s attention was the buzz about government spending on the mission. It is going to cost $1.4 billion, much less than what other countries like the United States and Russia spent on similar mission. <br /><br />
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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<br />Going forward, the agency says it has plans to launch 32 missions in 2019 including <keyword id="53289" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Chandrayaan-2">Chandrayaan-2</keyword>. <br />

2018 was a remarkable year for India’s space agency ISRO—Here were the top 5 successful missions

<br /><ul><li>India successfully conducted its first anti-satellite (ASAT) missile weapon test yesterday.</li><li>The other super powers — Russia, the US and China — also have this capability.</li><li>The current treaties in place do not specify when and how the use of these weapons is justified.</li></ul>India just conducted its first test using anti-satellite (ASAT) missile weapon called ‘<keyword id="3384000" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mission-Shakti">Mission Shakti</keyword>’. Donald Trump, the US president, is calling for a ‘Space Force’. And, space technology — preventive or offensive or benign — has become an integral instrument for the functioning of daily life.<br /><br />It’s not quite an arms race when only four countries — Russia, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/indias-asat-mission-shakti-creates-space-debris/articleshow/68594904.cms">India</a>, China and <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/donald-trump-calls-for-space-force/article26653520.ece">the US</a>, the supposed space ‘superpowers’ — are building up their technology, that too years apart. <br /><br />But, it is a cause for concern if other countries follow in their footsteps — especially in light of the fact that there are no terms of agreement in place for the use of ASATs. <br /><br />The <keyword id="489898" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Outer-Space-Treaty">Outer Space Treaty</keyword>, formally the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, does not <a href="https://scholarship.law.georgetown.edu/facpub/453/">address</a> the use of ASATs either.<br /><br />“If more and more countries come up with this technology, there may be an arms race. But, India will not be triggering factor. But, India might be an excuse,” Kumar Abhijeet, a member of the International Institute of Space Law, told Business Insider.<br /><br />He goes on to say, “Nowhere is ASAT testing prohibited. We are very much within the international laws to make use of it.”<br /><br />So, while testing of ASATs doesn’t violate any international treaty, there is little information around when the use of ASAT may be permitted. So far, whenever the technology has been tested, it’s only be used to take out a country’s own satellite. <br /><br />
  
  
  
  
  <div type="ExtQuote" text="So far, whether its India, China, US or Russia, all of these have demonstrated ASAT capabilities with the destruction of their own satellites. None of these states have targeting satellite from other countries." auname="Kumar Abhijeet, Member of the International Institute of Space Law and Research Scholar at the Institute of Air and Space Law"></div>











<br />But, in reality, an ASAT can take out any kind of satellite. What matters is the intention behind the attack. According to Abhijeet, “If there is proof that a satellite is being used to spy and that there is a threat to the national security or if there is a threat of any kind of armed attack - then a preemptive attack can be made.”<br /><br />He goes on to explain, “The treaty doesn’t say anything with regard to that. But then, whenever there is a necessity — necessity knows no boundary. Particularly in the national interest if anything is there — a country can do that.”<br /><br />While India maintains that they have no intention of weaponizing the space race, its neighboring nations have perceived the progress of Mission Shakti in a different way. <br /><br />
  
  
  
  
  <div type="ExtQuote" text="For India, the objective is preemptive. The geopolitical strategy which is prevailing between the countries, our neighbors being Pakistan and China, it has become a necessity for the defence sector to develop those capabilities." auname="Kumar Abhijeet, Member of the International Institute of Space Law and Research Scholar at the Institute of Air and Space Law"></div>











<br />Brian Weeden, the director of program planning at the Secure World Foundation took to Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/brianweeden/status/1110898862624071682">asking</a> if any commercial space companies would be interesting in taking a stand and boycotting the polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV). <br /><br />
	<div type="twitter" handle="brianweeden" handlename="brianweeden" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/609770691576135680/jqXW8y5R_normal.jpg" favoritecount="55" retweetcount="16" status="/21 So I wonder if any commercial space companies are willing to take a stand on this and boycott the PSLV to send… https://t.co/6vgCrunt4Z" createdat="1553693903000" id="1110898862624071682"></div>



<br />Though he later <a href="https://spacenews.com/reactions-to-indian-asat/">clarified</a> that he was only fostering responsible behavior by asking companies to analyse the role that they want to play in the peaceful use of resources in outer space.<br /><br />Pakistan is calling for the international community to condemn the act while China took a more subtle approach stating, “We have noticed reports and hope that each country will uphold peace and tranquillity in outer space.”<br /><br />The ambiguities about space law and its enforceability can lead to uncertainty for stakeholders. The U.N. chief, Antonio Guterres, has already <a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/02/1033512">expressed</a> his cynicism stating, “Key components of the international arms control architecture are collapsing,” with respect to global disarmament efforts.<br /><br />Although <keyword id="7471230" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="war-in-space">war in space</keyword> isn’t a phenomenon just yet, it is both, a grim reality and a technological feat, that countries are <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/the-race-to-become-the-next-space-superpower-lands-china-on-the-dark-side-of-the-moon/articleshow/67364186.cms">arming</a> themselves with ASATs to show that they are ready to counter any threats from outer space. <br /><br /><strong>See also:<br /></strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/prime-minister-modi-in-his-live-address-says-indian-scientists-shot-down-a-low-orbit-satellite-300-km-away-in-space/articleshow/68593276.cms">India enters an elite club after scientists shoot down a low orbit satellite 300 km away in space</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/Indias-test-of-its-anti-satellite-weapon-may-have-weakened-its-fight-against-dangerous-space-debris/articleshow/68594904.cms">India's test of its anti-satellite weapon may have weakened its fight against dangerous space debris</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/the-race-to-become-the-next-space-superpower-lands-china-on-the-dark-side-of-the-moon/articleshow/67364186.cms">The race to become the next space ‘superpower’ lands China on the ‘dark side’ of the moon</a><br />

It might be time for ‘space superpowers’ to bring in a new space treaty

A sea of humanity converged in <keyword id="6354932" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Rameswaram">Rameswaram</keyword> in Tamil Nadu and bade final adieu to the most beloved former Indian President <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=APJ+Abdul+Kalam">A P J Abdul Kalam</a>, who passed away due to cardiac arrest at the age of 83.<br />
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<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Narendra+Modi">Prime Minister Narendra Modi</a>, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=manohar+parrikar">Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar</a>, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu reached the southern city along with other political and apolitical personalities and attended the funeral.<br />
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As tears welled up eyes, with a heavy heart Dr Kalam was laid to rest.<br />
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Mortal remains of Kalam were brought to his hometown on July 29 and people came out in huge numbers to pay their tributes.<br />
The government has declared national mourning of seven days.<br />
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Security has been tightened in and around Rameswaram.<br />
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The '<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=missile+man">Missile Man</a>' led the weaponisation of strategic missile systems and the Pokhran-II nuclear tests in collaboration with Department of Atomic Energy, which made India a nuclear weapon state.<br />
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The People's President guided ballistic missiles project, nuclear weapons programme and the Light Combat Aircraft(LCA) project.<br />
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The former President made significant contribution in developing India's first indigenous Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV-III) which successfully injected the Rohini <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=satellite">satellite</a> in the near earth orbit in July 1980 after which the country became an exclusive member of the space club.<br />
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Kalam, who used to sell newspapers, was also behind the evolution of Indian Space Research Organisation's launch vehicle programme, particularly <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=PSLV">PSLV</a> configuration.<br />
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He was very popular among schoolchildren. He used to say <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=teacher">teaching</a> was his passion, and he spent his last moments among the students doing what he loved most.<br />
Dr Kalam passed away on July 28 at a hospital in Shillong. He had collapsed while giving a lecture at <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=IIM+Shillong">IIM-Shillong</a>.<br />
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Pay your tribute: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Pay-your-last-respects-to-former-President-APJ-Abdul-Kalam/social/48249034.cms">http://www.businessinsider.in/Pay-your-last-respects-to-former-President-APJ-Abdul-Kalam/social/48249034.cms</a><br />
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(Image: PIB)<br />
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People’s President Dr Kalam laid to rest

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<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Indian+Space+Research+Organization+%28ISRO%29+">Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)</a> has given us many reasons to celebrate in the past, and it is back once again with good news. The space agency is going to help the US, which is self-sufficient in <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=space+technology">space technology</a>, launch its satellite from India’s launch pad at <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Sriharikota">Sriharikota</a>. The US is the 20th country seeking India’s help for launching its satellite; <keyword id="6358064" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="ISRO">ISRO</keyword> scientists have earlier launched 45 satellites for 19 countries.<br />
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However, what really makes this news special is that India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle will push the US satellite into the orbit. Besides this, other three major ISRO accomplishments this year had been:<br />
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1)     100 days of Mangalyaan: Remember <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Mangalyaan">Mangalyaan</a>? It entered the Red Planet’s orbit on September 24, 2014 after a 666-million-km journey from Earth in over 10 months, and made India the first country to taste success in its maiden <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Mars+mission">Mars mission</a>. The satellite sent to Mars was none other than Mangalyaan, which successfully completed 100 days on January 1, 2015. It is still in the pink of its health and is busy collecting scientific data.<br />
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2)     Launch of India's 4th navigational satellite: ISRO successfully launched a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=navigation+satellite+">navigation satellite</a> using the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) from Sriharikota on March 28, 2015. It will help the country to have its own version of the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Global+Positioning+System">Global Positioning System</a> (<keyword id="6362652" type="TECHNOLOGY" weightage="100" keywordseo="GPS">GPS</keyword>), useful in everyday life for navigation. Having an accuracy of less than 20 meters, this system is comparable to the best in the world.<br />
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3)     ISRO launches five British satellites: On July 11, 2015, Indian scientists successfully launched five British satellites into the orbit from Sriharikota. Britain not only rented premium space from ISRO but also hired a rocket for the first time. The total weight of the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=British+satellites+">British satellites</a> is 1,440 kg, making this the heaviest commercial launch ever to be undertaken by India.<br />
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The Indian space agency is now busy preparing for the launch of GSLV-Mark-II, probably around August 27. According to an official, the 2.1-tonne capacity GSLV-Mark-II would carry a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=communication+">communication</a> satellite. It would also launch seven other satellites by March 2016. And if all goes well, the Indian space agency might start its mission to Venus by end of this year.<br />
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(Image: ISRO)<br />

3 ISRO achievements that made Indians proud!

<br /> A vision is not a project report or a plan target. It is an articulation of the desired end results in broader terms. - <keyword id="2972947" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="A-P-J-Abdul-Kalam">A. P. J. Abdul Kalam</keyword><br />
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India has had a long history of the planning but rarely do we do proper envisioning exercises. Envisioning is necessary as it motivates people and all the institutions in society towards a common and often a shared cause. Dr. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=A.P.J+Abdul+Kalam">A.P.J Abdul Kalam</a> was a great man precisely due to his ability to articulate a vision and get people involved in it to try and successfully fulfil that vision. His contributions to the <keyword id="6355210" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Development">development</keyword> of the SLV3 programme are well known which later formed the bedrock of the GSLV and PSLV launch vehicles. Our space program is now one of the best in the world thanks to great institution builders like Dr. Kalam. Dr. Kalam's greatest contribution came not just in strengthening India through the missile shield that earned him the name of 'missile man' but in uniting India in the pursuit to become a developed country. India Vision 2020 was a monumental document conceived under the Chairmanship of A.P.J Abdul Kalam and a team of 500 experts in <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Technology+Information%2C+Forecasting+and+Assessment+Council+">Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council </a>(TIFAC).<br />
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The plans of the document were further elaborated in the book India 2020: A Vision for the New Millennium, which Dr. Kalam had coauthored with <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Y.+S.+Rajan">Dr. Y. S. Rajan</a>. The vision was inspired by an idea to create a developed India by 2020. Skeptics said and still say that it was an impossible dream and what is the merit in undertaking such a project? The purpose of a dream is not in just its fulfilment but also in what one achieves in the process of fulfilling the dream. While India may not become developed by 2020 what matters is we have achieved more than we would if India would not have envisioned in the first place. The former president Dr. Kalam's vision certainly fuelled and became the inspiration for citizens and institutions working towards a common cause. Progress is something that is increment but has to be constantly measured and benchmarked.<br />
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TIFAC recently has released a draft document for titled <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Technology">Technology</a> Vision 2035 for India. Also released is the 'Technoscape' document as well as 'Lifescape' document. The vision of the draft Technology Vision 2035 document is to map the agenda for India's future in the domains of science, technology and innovation. The document comes across as a futurist one and is well thought through. The 'Technoscape' document summarizes the broader vision for each of the 12 broad focus areas and looks at facts and figures. Also mentioned are the future trends and technologies in the twelve broad areas. The twelve broad areas include education, medical sciences &amp; healthcare, food and agriculture, water, energy, environment, habitat, transportation, infrastructure, manufacturing, materials and information and communication technologies. The 'Lifescape' document shows the life a citizen of India could have in 2035. While all the projections and plans may not come out the way in which they are planned it certainly serves as a good benchmark as well as an inspiration for Indian citizens.<br />
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Dr. Kalam wanted India to be a knowledge superpower. The TIFAC team has done a great job in articulating technology vision India 2035. It is our duty as citizens of India to provide them with inputs for bettering these documents. It is also imperative that we go through the documents because knowledge cannot be the sole repository of a few. The tyranny of experts and policymakers can only be reduced when the masses understand it, and there is active public engagement. Media's role is also to highlight these documents. At present, there is barely any media coverage on these. Greater dissemination of these documents will also take us one step closer to Dr. Kalam's developmental vision.<br />
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(The article is co-authored with Sankalp Sharma, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Competitiveness, India. Amit Kapoor is Chair, Institute for Competitiveness &amp; Editor of Thinkers. The views expressed are personal. Amit can be reached at <a href="mailto:amit.kapoor@competitiveness.in">amit.kapoor@competitiveness.in</a> and tweets @kautiliya)<br />
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Envisioning
India<b></b>

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://breakthroughinitiatives.org/Initiative/3">Breakthrough Starshot</a></span></p><p class="caption">An edited photo of a prototype "sprite," a type of spacecraft that was launched into orbit by Breakthrough Starshot.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>Breakthrough Starshot, an ambitious project to explore a nearby star system, has launched its first prototypes into orbit.</strong></li><li><strong>Each "sprite" spacecraft is about the size of a cracker and is equipped with a radio, computer, and other instruments.</strong></li><li><strong>The feat is a step towards developing even smaller and more capable "starchip" robots.</strong></li><li><strong>Starchips may be propelled by lasers to the nearby Alpha Centauri star system within two to three decades.</strong></li></ul><p>Breakthrough Starshot, a Russian billionaire's $100-million effort to explore the closest star system to our own, has launched the smallest-ever spacecraft into orbit around Earth.</p><p>The six cracker-size robots, called "sprites," are printed circuit boards designed to survive in space. Each one comes equipped with tiny solar panels and two antennas, plus a tiny radio, computer, gyroscope (to move and stabilize the craft), and magnetometer (to orient to Earth's magnetic field).</p><p>Each sprite is wafer-thin, measures about 12 square centimeters (1.9 square inches) in area, and weighs the same amount as four US dollar bills.</p><p>As reported by Scientific American, Starshot launched six of the sprites on June 23 aboard two European satellites on an Indian-built rocket.</p><p>"This is a very early version of what we would send to interstellar distances," Pete Worden, a former director of NASA's Ames Research Center and Starshot's executive director, <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/reaching-for-the-stars-breakthrough-sends-smallest-ever-satellites-into-orbit/">told SciAm</a>.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.isro.gov.in/pslv-c38-cartosat-2-series-satellite/pslv-c38-cartosat-2-series-satellite-gallery">Copyright of ISRO</a></span></p><p class="caption">India's PSLV-C38 mission launches toward space.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Two of Starshot's sprites are attached to small educational nanosatellites: the Venta (operated by Latvia) and the Max Valier (operated by Italy). Four more await deployment inside the Max Valier, according to SciAm.</p><p>"The spacecraft are in radio communication with ground stations in California and New York, as well as with amateur radio enthusiasts around the world," a Starshot press release said. "This mission is designed to test how well the Sprites' electronics perform in orbit, and demonstrates their novel radio communication architecture."</p><p>The fact that they seem to work in space is a big advance for Breakthrough Starshot - an ambitious, decades-long project <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/starshot-alpha-centauri-robots-stephen-hawking-yuri-milner-2016-4">announced in April 2016</a> by Stephen Hawking and Russian physicist and venture capitalist Yuri Milner.</p><p>The ultimate goal, perhaps within the next 20 to 30 years, is to propel even smaller spaceships, called "starchips," to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-starshot-laser-robots-work-2016-4/">20% the speed of light</a> with powerful, Earth-based lasers.</p><p>"Life in the universe does not only mean extraterrestrial life ... it means us," Milner said at the time. "Can we reach the stars? Can we do it in our lifetimes?"</p><h2>Sailing between stars</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Breakthrough Prize</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Breakthrough Starshot's general target is Alpha Centauri, the closest system of stars to Earth, which is located about 4.37 light-years (25.7 trillion miles) away.</p><p>Within that system, researchers are eyeing Proxima Centauri: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/red-dwarf-planets-proxima-b-aliens-2016-8">a red dwarf star</a> that's about 1 trillion miles closer than two other stars in the system.</p><p>Proxima Centauri is thought to harbor an Earth-size planet, called <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/proxima-b-potentially-earth-like-planet-around-closest-star-2016-8">Proxima b</a>, in its Goldilocks-like <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/goldilocks-exoplanet-habitability-internal-heat-2016-8">habitable zone</a>.</p><p>"A spacecraft equipped with a camera and various filters could take color images of the planet and infer whether it is green (harboring life as we know it), blue (with water oceans on its surface) or just brown (dry rock)," Avi Loeb, a physicist at Harvard University and a <a href="https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/news/fe201609">Starshot mission advisory committee chair</a>, told Business Insider in 2016.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.eso.org/public/images/eso1241e/">ESO/Digitized Sky Survey 2 Acknowledgement: Davide De Martin</a></span></p><p class="caption">A wide-field view of the sky around the bright star Alpha Centauri.</p></div><p></p></div></div>The photos of Proxima b would take at least 4.24 years - the distance in light-years from here to the star - to get back to Earth.</p><p>Milner said in April 2016 that Starshot will start out as a $100 million engineering proof-of-concept to design, build, launch, and propel a small fleet of starchips to Alpha Centauri in about 25 years' time.</p><p>Each starchip will contain a laser-light sail for propulsion. "This is the Silicon valley approach to spaceflight," Milner said at the time.</p><p>The starchips will be built out of a "gram-scale" silicon wafer that's "carrying cameras, photon thrusters, power supply, navigation and communication equipment, and constituting a fully functional space probe," Milner added.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Breakthrough Prize</span></p><p class="caption">An artist's depiction of Starshot's "beamer" laser array that'd propel StarChips to a nearby star system</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Moving each starchip along will be a "Lightsail" propulsion unit. An <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMkWGN1G6Kg">array of powerful lasers called a "beamer"</a> will take aim at the Lightsails, accelerating each tiny spacecraft to more than 134 million mph.</p><p>Loeb previously said that the next five to 10 years of the project - and most of the $100 million - will be focused on <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/starshot-nanocraft-technology-challenges-2016-4">proving that the laser propulsion idea actually works</a>. They'll need it to function as way to "potentially launch hundreds of cheap, gram-scale spacecrafts per year."</p><p>Starshot wants to launch hundreds of starchips because there's safety in numbers: At 20% the speed of light, hitting even the tiniest speck of space dust could obliterate a robot.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>ESO/M. Kornmesser</span></p><p class="caption">An artist's impression of the surface of the extrasolar planet Proxima b.</p></div><p></p></div></div>"This will allow us to send a fleet of probes towards Proxima that could relay the images taken back to Earth more easily (from one spacecraft to the next along the line of sight to Proxima)," he said.</p><p>Even if the mission is a smashing success, Starshot may discover that Proxima b doesn't support life. Loeb said it's important to explore the not-so-distant world regardless.</p><p>"The lifetime of Proxima is several trillion years, almost a thousand times longer than the remaining lifetime of the Sun," he said. "Hence, a habitable rocky planet around Proxima would be the most natural location to where our civilization could aspire to move after the Sun will die, five billions years from now." (At least one sci-fi author <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/earth-like-planet-proxima-b-colonize-kim-stanley-robinson-aurora-2016-8">thinks this is a horrible idea</a>.)</p><h2>A wealthy fan of space exploration</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Hawking-Space-Exploration/406382af8d874f428ad8660e47984665/3/0">Associated Press</a></span></p><p class="caption">Russian billionaire Yuri Milner holds up a Starshot "Sprite" during an April 12, 2016, press conference in New York.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Milner's fascination with space and <keyword id="41551" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="science">science</keyword> runs deep.</p><p>The first man in space was cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin - who Milner <a href="http://time.com/3964238/yuri-milner-breakthrough-listen/">has said</a> he was named after.</p><p>Milner has also spent big money on science initiatives before, <a href="http://time.com/3964238/yuri-milner-breakthrough-listen/">saying he wants to celebrate</a> "intellectual achievement" in the same way we celebrate artistic and athletic prowess.</p><p>The Russian billionaire philanthropist has collaborated with Hawking in the past - in July 2015, the two announced a $100 million plan, called "<a href="http://www.techinsider.io/milners-100-million-search-for-aliens-2015-7">Breakthrough Listen</a>," to search the stars for intelligent extraterrestrial life.</p><p>Milner was working on a PhD in physics before he became a Silicon Valley investor. He earned his fortune investing in companies like Facebook, Twitter, Spotify, and Groupon.</p><p>Today he funds some of the biggest science prizes out there, including the Breakthrough Prize, which Mark Zuckerberg also supports.</p><p><em>Kevin Loria and Lauren Friedman contributed to this post.</em></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/starshot-launching-tiny-robots-nearest-star-alpha-centauri-2016-4">How these laser-propelled robots could bring us to a star 25 trillion miles away</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="JwcmtzMjE62UOoiv4Vw4S-kom9OujD1H" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

A Russian billionaire has launched the smallest-ever spacecraft into orbit - a key step to reaching a nearby star system

<ul><li> The Kerala cabinet has approved ₹1.3 crore ($180,000) as compensation to for S <keyword id="1371628" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nambi-Narayanan">Nambi Narayanan</keyword> who was falsely accused of being a spy.</li><li>It took Narayanan over two decades to find justice after being tortured during his nearly 2-month detention in 1994.</li><li>This highest compensation that Narayanan has received after he petitioned the Supreme Court, which allotted ₹50 lakh in 2018. </li></ul>S Nambi Narayanan believes that he could’ve been the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).  He was instrumental in developing a mechanism which was used in 'Bahubali' rocket that launched Chandrayaan 2. <br /><br />Yet, this man who was later awarded India’s highest civilian honour spent 25 years of his life fighting off allegations of being a spy. <br /><br />
	
	
	
	
	
  <div type="image" title="nambi2_edited" msid="72991953" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Geetha Arunan daughter of scientist Nambi Narayanan weeps after screening documentary about the latter&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>













<br /><br /><strong>Inadequate compensation<br /></strong><br />In 1994, Narayan was accused of stealing classified information and sharing it with Pakistan. <br /><br />Though he was cleared of all allegations in by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Supreme Court in 1998 — only ₹1 lakh was offered in compensation. <br />Disappointed with the treatment meted out to him, Narayanan approached the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to seek damages for the torture and mental agony that he had to endure during his 50-day incarceration.<br />
	
	
	
	
  <div type="image" title="nambi3_edited" msid="72992009" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Former ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan was accused of stealing launch secrets for Pakistan in 1994&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>











<br />The scandal had damaged his honour and thus began his journey to salvage his innocence by circling the courts.<br /><br />To compensate him for the unlawful detention, the Kerala cabinet has now approved ₹1.3 crore ($180,000) as compensation. This is more than twice the amount that he was offered by the Supreme Court which in 2018. <br />
	
	
	
  <div type="image" title="nambi5_50lakh_edited" msid="72992022" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan handing over 50 Lakhs (as directed by SC) to Nambi Narayanan&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>








<strong>The road to becoming ISRO chairman<br /></strong><br />Before the scandal broke, Narayanan was on the road to success at ISRO.<br /><br />“I could have become the chairman of ISRO, without any doubt, but I am not sad. What is sad is that because of my dream job, I did not take care of my family,” he said in an interview with <a href="https://theprint.in/india/governance/the-spy-who-wasnt-space-scientist-nambi-narayanan-fought-for-his-innocence-for-24-years/118914/">The Print</a>.<br /><br />
	
	
	
  <div type="image" title="nambi4_edited" msid="72992033" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Nambi Narayanan&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>









During his stint at ISRO, Narayan is credited for developing India’s first liquid-propellant motor. The motor forms the backbone for the advanced cryogenic engine, which now powers India’s ‘<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/why-chandrayaan-2-will-take-7-weeks-to-reach-moon/articleshow/70346159.cms">Bahubali</a>’ rocket — the Geosynchronous Launch Vehicle (GSLV). It is the biggest rocket in India’s portfolio and is responsible for missions like <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/chandrayaan-2-fails-in-the-final-seconds-of-descent-to-moons-south-pole/articleshow/71018196.cms">Chandrayaan 2</a>, India’s second mission to the Moon. <br /><br />
	
	
  <div type="image" title="nambi6_edited" msid="72992064" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Chandryaan 2, India&amp;#39;s second mission to the moon, takes off from the launch pan in Sriharikota&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>






He was also instrumental in developing the Vikas engine, which was later used in the first <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/isros-nsil-completes-second-successful-launch-using-pslv-rockets/articleshow/72474132.cms">Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)</a>.<br /><br />Ironically, it was being close to the cryogenic engine project that <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/special-report/story/19941231-key-questions-about-spy-scandal-remain-unanswered-month-after-spy-ring-exposed-810101-1999-11-30">cast suspicions on him</a> since it gave him access to its proprietary functioning.<br /><br />
	
  <div type="image" title="nambi7_edited" msid="72992125" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Former ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan watching the news about the launch of GSLV Mk III from Sriharikota at his residence in Thiruvananthapuram &amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>





<br /><strong>Accused of being a spy<br /></strong><br />Narayanan says that the authorities not only tortured him during his nearly 2-month arrest but also coerced false confessions out of him. At the time, the investigators stated that Narayanan had “been wanting to quit his job for the past two years,” according to <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/special-report/story/19941231-key-questions-about-spy-scandal-remain-unanswered-month-after-spy-ring-exposed-810101-1999-11-30">India Today</a>.<br /><br />At the time, he never realised that clearing his name would take another two decades. Even former President and rocket scientist APJ Abdul Kalam told him to give up, but Narayanan claims that he had made it his life’s mission to prove that it was not a spy.<br /><br />
  <div type="image" title="nambi8_edited" msid="72992150" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Former ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan, who was framed in the notorious ISRO espionage scandal, speaking at an interactive session organised by Karayogam at TDM hall in Kochi &amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>


<strong><br />Here comes the Padma Bhushan<br /></strong><br />In 2018, justice finally came. The Supreme Court ruled he was “arrested unnecessarily, harassed and subjected to mental cruelty” finally clearing him of all charges. The verdict also directed that a committee should be set to look into the activities of the police officers behind the arrest.<br /><br />In January 2019, Narayanan’s contributions to India’s space programme were finally recognised when the government awarded him the Padma Bhushan — the third-highest civilian award in the country.<br /><br />
  
  
  
  
  
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<br />The story of Narayanan’s thrilling journey will also be hitting the big screen soon. <em><keyword id="1607807" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="rocketry">Rocketry</keyword>: The Nambi Effect </em>starring <keyword id="18461" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="R-Madhavan">R Madhavan</keyword> with feature the “extraordinary story of an unsung hero” that’s been in the works since 2017. Madhavan — the actor, producer and director of the movie — called the project his “biggest film ever”.<br /><br /><strong>See also:<br /></strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/isro-outlook-2020-indian-private-sector-eyes-30-billion-space-launch-pie/articleshow/72812429.cms">ISRO outlook 2020: Indian private sector eyes $30 billion space launch pie</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/isro-has-its-hands-full-with-13-launches-and-the-launch-of-its-new-rocket-before-march/articleshow/72253562.cms">ISRO has its 'hands full' with 13 launches and the test of its new rocket before March</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/isro-risat-2br1-spy-satellite-surveillance-along-borders/articleshow/72454280.cms">ISRO's all-weather ‘spy satellite’ will help India watch its borders closely</a><br /><br /><br />

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