ISRO-DBT sign agreement to conduct biotechnology experiments in space station

Context: The Indian
Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Department of Biotechnology (DBT)
have inked an agreement to design and conduct experiments, which will then be
integrated into the forthcoming Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS), India’s
proposed indigenous space station. The BAS is expected to take shape from
2028-2035. Biotechnology is a broad field that involves the use of living
organisms, cells, and biological systems to develop products and technologies
for various applications. It integrates principles from biology, chemistry,
physics, engineering, and other disciplines to manipulate biological processes
for industrial, medical, agricultural, and environmental purposes.

Key
points

·       Overview: The two
institutions signed a memorandum of understanding on Friday for long term
collaboration on space biotechnology.

·       Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS): The
Bharatiya Antariksha Station (BAS), or Indian Space Station, is a space station
that India is constructing and will be operated by the Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO). The BAS is a topic that may appear in the UPSC GS Paper 3
on Science and Technology.

Launch date- The first module of the BAS is
expected to launch in 2028, and the remaining modules are expected to launch by
2035.

Weight- The BAS will weigh 52 tonnes and
orbit the Earth at a height of about 400 kilometers.

Crew- Astronauts will be able to stay on
the BAS for 3–6 months.

Gaganyaan program- The Gaganyaan program has
been updated to include four missions to develop and validate technologies for
the BAS. The first uncrewed mission is planned for before the end of 2028.

Benefits-The BAS will help India develop
technological capabilities for human space missions. It will also boost
scientific research and technology development, which could lead to economic
activity and job creation.

·       Department of Biotechnology: The
Department of Biotechnology (DBT) is an Indian government department, under the
Ministry of Science and Technology responsible for administrating development
and commercialisation in the field of modern biology and biotechnology in India.
It was set up in 1986.

Initiatives- In December 2015, the Department
of Biotechnology launched the National Biotechnology Development Strategy
2015–2020 programme. The stated aim of the programme is to intensify research
in the fields of vaccines, human genome, infectious and chronic diseases, crop
science, animal agriculture and aquaculture, food and nutrition, environmental
management and technologies for clean energy. The mission, through stakeholders
in the biotechnology and technology domains is backed with significant
investments to create new products, creating a strong infrastructure for
research and development, commercialization, and empowering human resources
scientifically and technologically.

·       Experiments to be conducted: Some of
the experiments being mooted include how weightlessness can influence muscle
loss on those in space, what kind of algae may be suitable as nutrients or to
preserve food for longer, how some algae may be processed to make jet fuel, and
the impact of radiation on the health of those aboard space stations.

·       Collaborations: The
ISRO-DBT collaboration stems from another initiative this year called the BIOE3
(Biotechnology for Economy, Environment and Employment) policy by the
Department of Biotechnology (DBT) that aims to stimulate ‘bio-manufacturing’ in
India. The bio-economy, officials in the DBT said, would be worth $300 billion
by 2030.