Delayed Technology Transfer to Developing Countries in Strategic Sectors : A Case of the Indian Space Sector

A Case of the Indian Space Sector

Abstract

Abstract

The space sector unveiled its strategic importance from the 1991 Gulf War and the Iraq war to the recent Russia-Ukraine conflict by providing strike precision, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. Strategic technologies in the space sector include satellite technologies, launching technologies, and systems related to launching. The magnitude of strategic technology transfer to developing countries is less due to various political reasons. The technology control regimes mostly stand in the way of developing countries in their technology acquisition efforts. This article attempts to analyse the international transfer of strategic technologies to developing countries, particularly India. Historically, the Indian space sector was developed through technology import and collaborations with both the Western and the Soviet bloc countries. This article places India’s space program in the context of international technology control regimes and India’s relations with the space haves in the cold war and post-Cold War period. India’s acquisition of cryogenic technology for its launch vehicle development is chosen as the case study. The study is purely based on secondary data.