Hope Chandrayaan's rover shows if there’s ice on Moon's south pole: Candace Johnson

Candace Johnson, a prominent figure in global space technology and investment, discussed the expectations surrounding Chandrayaan-3's Pragyan rover during the B20 Summit India organized by CII. She highlighted the significance of India's space mission in inspiring youth worldwide.

"Rover has now started to literally take the first steps. We are hoping that images which will be released tomorrow will already start to show if there is ice on the south pole and that ice can be used for water, oxygen, for fuel to take us to as the song says "to Mars"," Johnson said.

As a co-founder of SES, a satellite company partnered with Jio for satellite communication services in India, and vice-chair of space tech firm NorthStar, Johnson emphasised the decreasing cost of space travel due to technological advancements and more affordable launch options. This reduction in cost is driving the democratization of space access.

She expressed concern about the potential colonisation of space and shared her vision for a manifesto promoting clean, accessible, equitable, and peaceful space exploration.

Johnson regarded space exploration as the upcoming frontier and lauded the James Webb telescope for enabling deep space observation. India's role in leading toward deep space exploration was acknowledged, encompassing deep space, near space, and planetary exploration.

In the same session, Kris Gopalakrishnan, co-founder of Infosys and Chairman of Axilor Ventures, advocated for collaboration between G20 nations and the B20 group in various domains, including industry 4.0, universal internet access, emerging technologies like cancer research, space tech, medtech, mobility, circular economy, green data centres, bio-materials, and bio-energy. He also stressed the importance of increasing women's representation in STEM fields and prioritizing human-centred design.

Roshni Nadar, Chairperson of HCL Technologies, highlighted the significance of equitable funding for women in STEM fields to drive innovation and research and development in technology.