Ajey Lele

Senior Fellow Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Gp. Capt. Ajey Lele’s commentary ‘Artemis Accords: Unilateralization In Space’, co-written with former Policy Analyst, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Shri V. Gopalakrishnan, has been published by Society for the Study of Peace and Conflict (SSPC) on October 24, 2020.

The commentary analyses the Artemis Accord signed by the United States, Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the United Kingdom (UK) for exploring the Moon, Mars, Comets, and Asteroids, together. The in-depth paper intends to deliberate on the political and legal dimensions of the Artemis programme. The program is named Artemis, the Greek goddess of the Moon and twin sister to Apollo. However, besides its cosmic connection, it stands for Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence, and Electrodynamics of the Moon’s Interaction with the Sun (ARTEMIS).

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• Published: 24 October, 2020

Senior Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Gp. Capt. Ajey Lele’s article ‘The forthcoming 2+2 India-US deliberations: Here’s what to look forward’ has been published in ‘The Financial Express’ on October 23, 2020.

There is a prevalent view amongst the experts that Joseph Biden-Kamala Harris winning the US elections may not be in the best interest of India. This is not to say that Donald Trump’s India policies have been music to India’s ear for the last four years. Probably, that is why just a week before going to the elections in the US, the 2+2 dialogue, between the defence and foreign ministers of India and the US would be held on October 26-27, 2020 in New Delhi. This mechanism began during 2018 and the 2020 dialogue would be the third such dialogue, says Gp. Capt. Lele.

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• Published: 23 October, 2020

Senior Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Gp. Capt Ajey Lele’s commentary ‘Venus: Science and Politics’ has been published by ‘The Space Review’ on September 21, 2020.

The recent discovery indicating the possibility of life in the atmosphere of Venus is very exciting news for the scientific community. One can expect that now more research regarding Venus and its atmosphere will be funded, including missions by NASA and other space agencies, writes Gp. Capt. Lele.

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• Published: 21 September, 2020

Senior Fellow MP-IDSA, Gp. Capt. Ajey Lele’s commentary ‘Mars race rhetoric’ has been published in ‘The Space Review’ on August 03, 2020.

Nations would go to Mars only when they have clarity about their scientific focus and have capacity (both technical and economic) to develop spacecraft for such purposes. It is highly unlikely that, in the 21st century, nations will race against each other to conquer Mars, writes Gp. Capt. Lele.

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• Published: 3 August, 2020

Senior Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Gp. Capt. Ajey Lele’s commentary on UAE’s Mars Mission, titled ‘The UAE’s Mars Mission: Lesson for India’ has been published by The Society for the Study of Peace and Conflict (SSPC), on July 22, 2020.

The UAE’s Mars agenda is clearly for a podium finish, and there is much for India to learn from this small Arab state. It would be advisable for ISRO to focus on one or two important projects and take them to their logical conclusions instead of trying out too many projects, writes Gp. Capt. Lele.

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• Published: 22 July, 2020

Senior Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Gp. Capt. Ajey Lele's commentary on COVID-19 and internet services, titled 'Could COVID- 19 Pandemic Lead to Long Term Disruption in Internet Services?' has been published by Society for the Study of Peace and Conflict (SSPC) on March 25, 2020.

The Internet has become a lifeline for the world for the past few decades. At present, owing to the Covid-19 threat, the world is observing ‘social distancing’. However, at the same time, there has been a major increase in ‘digital closeness’. For all these years, the idea of ‘work from home’ had very limited relevance, but now all of a sudden, this is becoming a global reality. Unfortunately, this is also leading to the overcrowding of digital networks due to rapid traffic growth. Obviously, there is an increasing fear that possibly the Internet may not be able to handle this additional strain, writes Gp. Capt.Lele.

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• Published: 25 March, 2020

Senior Fellow, IDSA, Gp. Capt. Ajey Lele’s article on India’s space agenda, titled ‘Should India pursue a Space Force?’ has been published in The Space Review on May 13, 2019.

India’s ASAT test has provided an opportunity for the country to recalibrate its defense structures. It’s now clear that India needs to establish the fourth arm of its defense structure, the Indian Space Force, writes Gp. Capt. Lele.

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• Published: 13 May, 2019

Senior Fellow, IDSA, Gp. Capt. Ajey Lele’s article on India’s space programme, titled ‘India makes strides towards space security’ has been published in East Asia Forum on May 04, 2019.

India has a vibrant space programme and is keen to use space for developmental and commercial purposes. In the coming decades there could be a ‘space race for resources’ with asteroid mining becoming a reality. India needs to ensure that all treaties in the space domain are fair, writes Gp. Capt. Lele.

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• Published: 4 May, 2019

Senior Fellow, IDSA, Gp. Capt. Ajey Lele’s article on Mission Shakti, titled ‘A-SAT Mission Shakti: A project that made rocket science look simpler than politics’ was published in Financial Express on March 30, 2019.

Commenting on the political turmoil over the test, Dr Lele writes that internationally, India has significantly raised the stakes of the issues concerning Space Security. For India space is a tool for a growth and wellbeing of its people.

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• Published: 30 March, 2019

Senior Fellow, IDSA, Gp Capt Ajey Lele’s opinion piece on ASAT test, titled ‘The successful ASAT test has earned India its rightful place on the high table’ was published in The Indian Express on March 29, 2019.

The article describes the ASAT missile test as a demonstration of technological capability and a message of deterrence and says that it strengthens India’s claims to be a party to international negotiations on space.

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• Published: 29 March, 2019