AGENDA
IRSD 2023 PROGRAMME
Programme accurate as on 14 April 2023
10:00 - 10:30
Registration
10:30 - 11:20
Opening Ceremony
Chief Guest:
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Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, President – Indian Council for Cultural Relations
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Guest of Honor:
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Igor Semenov, Counselor, Science & Technology, Embassy of the Russian Federation to the Republic of India
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Invitees:
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Anand Kumar, Founder, Super30
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Ekaterina Malysheva, Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre (GCTC)
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Sammy Kotwani, President, Indian Business Alliance
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Oleg Osipov, Head, Russian House New Delhi
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Vaibhav Varun, Managing Director, Aviakul Group of Companies
11:20 - 11:30
Keynote Lecture
Yuri Gagarin Memorial Lecture
Speaker:
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Sudheer Kumar, Director, Capacity Building and Public Outreach (CBPO), Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)
11:30 - 12:00
Fireside Chat
75 Years of India – Russia Space Cooperation
Indo Russian Cooperation has been marked by a close and strategic partnership across all spectrums of relationship and when the world is reeling with many challenges across the globe like pandemic, geopolitical tensions, economic slowdown and so on, rapid technological innovations and developments in space sector has become critical more than ever. Right from launching Aryabhata, India’s first unmanned satellite in 1975, to Wg Cmdr Rakesh Sharma, first Indian to travel to space in 1984, the cooperation between the two nations has seen many pinnacles. Several decades down the line, today, both the countries harbour common ambitions to journey deeper into space through many projects like Ganaganyaan, Marsoplane - the mission to explore mars and so on. Certainly, the 75 years of Indo-Russian cooperation provides many valuable lessons that are important to further explore the unexplored areas of Indo-Russian Space partnership and unearth the endless possibilities of Outer space.
What are the prospects and challenges for the new age space entrepreneurs between both the nations? And how this cooperation between both the nations can tackle the challenge together?
Moderator:
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Archana Upadhyay, Professor and Chairperson, Centre for Russian & Central Asian Studies,
School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University
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Panelists:
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Valery Panasenkov, Associate Professor, Department on Space Systems and Rocketry, Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI)
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P. V. Venkitakrishnan, Distinguished Scientist & Former Director, Capacity Building and Public Outreach (CBPO), Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)
12:00 - 12:10
Keynote Lecture
Women in Aerospace
Speaker:
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Harpreet A De Singh, President, Indian Women Pilots’ Association
12:15 – 13:15
[PA-01] Panel Discussion
Leveraging Outer space for Commercial Opportunities
As the Space activities are actively increasing and diversifying with the rising number of space faring nations, the outer space activities does not remain limited to only technological development but also concern issues of sustainability in providing economic, social, and environmental benefits. In the era when both public and private sector are actively participating in space domain to attain potential economic and potential benefits, the use of outer space for commercial purposes through effective means poses a new great challenge along with providing infinite opportunities for the international community to strengthen their cooperation and leverage their national interests.
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In this context, how Indo- Russian partnership can be extended to commercial cooperation beyond existing scientific and political cooperation? Can scientifically important space missions be made commercially viable? What are the challenges for a new age space entrepreneur? How can commercial cooperation leverage the national interests of the countries?
Moderator:
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Rajeev Gambhir, Senior Director - Technology and Policy, Satcom Industry Association
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Panelists:
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Anil Kumar Bhatt, Director General, Indian Space Association
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Sanjeev Kumar Varshney, Advisor & Head – International Cooperation, Department of Science & Technology, Government of India
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Valery Panasenkov, Associate Professor, Department on Space Systems and Rocketry, Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI)
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Venkitakrishnan P. V., Distinguished Scientist & Former Director, Capacity Building and Public Outreach (CBPO), Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)
13:15 – 14:15
LUNCH
14:15 – 15:15
[PA-02] Panel Discussion
Preparing Skilled Workforce for New Space Age
A single space mission requires a large team of workers with distinct variety of skills and competencies to work and therefore space is a domain comprising all range of industries and professions ranging from information, telecommunication, broadcasting, trade and manufacturing of space assets, professional and business services like R&D, technical services, engineering, geophysical surveying and so on. And the employers in the space sector are not only state space agencies but also private players whose presence is growing rapidly in the domain. New technological innovations and new ventures coming up in the space sector are unearthing the huge opportunities for skilled workforce in the future. Though there are multiple challenges – both technological and financial in preparing the future skilled space workforce but mutual collaboration and partnership between nations can go a long way in building that huge workforce and bridging the critical gap.
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How can India and Russia support each other in preparing the future workforce? What are the potential forms of upskilling the workforce in a post-Pandemic environment? How can we develop the regional level institutes that can cater to non-urban candidates? How can Institutions apart from traditional universities can contribute to the upskilling of future workforce?
Moderator:
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Ayushee Chaudhary, Aerospace Journalist
Panelists:
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Maria Budrevich, Deputy Head of International Projects, International Department, Moscow Aviation Institute (National Research University)
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Nikhitha C, Co-Founder & CEO, Society for Space Education Research and Development
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Sanjay Rathee, CEO, Space Development Nexus
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M. Sundararaj, Professor & Head, Department of Aeronautical Engineering, Bharath Institute of Higher Education and Research (BIHER)
15:15 - 16:00
Lecture
Presentations of Student Research Work
Participants:
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Akansh Jain & Mohammed Abdul Irfan, Bharath Institute of Higher Education and Research (BIHER)
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Dmitry Borovokov, Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI)
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Akash Sharma, Amity University