Hyderabad: India is planning to conduct 60 space missions over the next five years to achieve multiple objectives in navigation, positioning, advanced communications, space transportation, earth observation and space science, Minister of State in the prime minister's office (PMO) Prithviraj Chavan said here Monday.

Inaugurating the 58th International Astronautical Congress (IAC), Chavan said the ambitious Indian space programme would unfold huge opportunities for commercial and scientific cooperation among the space-faring nations the world over.

"Our space programme is inspired by the vision of self-reliance and priority to use space technology for accelerating national development. In line with the aspirations of a billion-strong people, our scientists and technocrats have the capability to produce world class satellites and launch vehicles to position them in different earth orbits," Chavan said.

Addressing about 2,000 delegates, including heads of global space agencies and other dignitaries from 45 countries, Chavan said space technology had become an indispensable tool in the quest for progress in economic, social and cultural fields.

"Vantage perspective from space has enabled us to understand the complex processes related to weather, natural resources and earth's environment and its eco-system.

"Our communications and remote-sensing satellites have strengthened our voice-data networks and television broadcasting infrastructure, improved our weather observation methods, disaster-mitigation support and the ability to manage natural resources," Chavan said.

Referring to the multiple benefits of space applications, Chavan said tele-education, tele-medicine and village resource centres across the country had brought about a paradigm shift in India's approach to provide literacy, healthcare and knowledge to the needy, especially those living in rural and remote or inaccessible regions.

"Space applications and technology have begun to play a crucial role in meeting the challenges of education, health services, disaster management and bridging the digital divide between the haves and have-nots," Chavan pointed out.

In this context, the minister called upon space-faring nations to maintain the space environment with an ethical legal framework for the optimal utilisation of space resources and preventing it from becoming another battlefield in future.

"In a world of growing conflicts and terror, protection of space assets is paramount for all. A robust system to protect space assets used for military, commercial or societal applications has to be put in place through legal, technical and cooperative mechanism," Chavan noted.

With advances in space exploration becoming expensive and risky, Chavan expressed concern over the asymmetry in policy and regulatory environment as applicable to commercial space activities in transfer of technology and market access.