India, US launch space-based energy project

India and US have joined hands to launch a space-based energy initiative aimed at turning both countries into net energy exporters.

The project, led by former president of India A P J Abdul Kalam, a staunch critic of the US, and National Space Society (NSS), a non-profit US-based space organisation will have chapters all over the world including India.

The announcement of the initiative was made last Thursday at Washington's National Press Club where Kalam and ISRO Satellite Centre director T K Alex were present.
 
The Kalam-National Space Society initiative, as it is called, envisages harvesting solar power in space for use on earth.
 
While Alex is the project's principal investigator from India, a team from Isro has been formed to conduct a feasibility study for the project, according to Kalam. He added that Isro chairman K Radhakrishnan had asked him take the idea forward, after discussing the project.

Referring to the Manmohan Singh-Obama summit in New Delhi yesterday, Kalam said both leaders were ''interested in energy-related issues and energy independence''. He added that the project would be implemented over a period of 15-years.

The challenging aspect of the project is the development of technology to transmit solar power from space to earth and its subsequent distribution. According to estimates, economic feasibility of the project would require that the cost of launching a spacecraft, currently $20,000 be slashed to $2,000 a kg.

Meanwhile, an announcement of a 'commercial satellite launch agreement' (CSLA) and the official removal of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) subsidiaries that are on the US blacklist would follow after meetings between prime minister Manmohan Singh and US president Barack Obama.