ISRO Chairman Highlights Hydrogen’s Role in Transforming India’s Space Missions

Quick Summary

• ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan emphasized hydrogen’s transformative role in India’s space missions during teh National Workshop on Hydrogen Fuel Technologies and Future Trends.
• Hydrogen, described as one of the greenest fuels, is key to ISRO’s breakthroughs, including cryogenic-stage technologies using liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen for rockets like the GSLV Mk III.
• India has successfully demonstrated a 100-watt oxygen-based fuel cell in space and is testing a 20-kilowatt version, with applications extending beyond rockets into aircraft, trains, automobiles, fuel cells, and other sectors.
• In collaboration with Tata Motors (2010-11), ISRO tested hydrogen fuel-cell-powered buses; by June 2025, five such buses began commercial operations supported by companies like BHEL and NTPC working on related systems.
• Safety concerns with hydrogen include colorless flames and potential hazards due to delayed sensor responses; improving detection technology remains critical according to Mr. Narayanan.
• NITI Aayog member Vijay kumar Saraswat urged India to accelerate it’s transition towards a hydrogen economy for achieving net-zero goals while building indigenous R&D infrastructure.

Indian Opinion Analysis

India is making meaningful strides in adopting hydrogen as a future energy source for both aerospace advancements and broader applications across transport sectors like buses, trains, and marine systems-a promising step towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions amidst growing global energy demand. The operational success of cryogenic-stage rockets powered by liquid hydrogen reflects India’s ability to overcome prior technological barriers.

However, scaling up hydrogen deployment entails addressing inherent safety risks associated with its storage and use-highlighted by gaps in sensor response times-and intensifying research efforts on efficient storage materials or carriers such as methanol for industrial transport needs where batteries remain insufficient.

For india’s energy transition strategy to succeed fully under its net-zero targets framework-especially against competition from nations like China-the emphasis must be placed not only on deploying available solutions but also fostering innovation-led self-reliance within R&D ecosystems critical to sustaining long-term progress toward clean-energy sources.Read more: Link