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Group Captain Ajey Lele (Retd.) was a Senior Fellow at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses and headed its Centre on Strategic Technologies. He started his professional career as an officer in the Indian Air Force in 1987 and took early retirement from the service to pursue his academic interests. He has a Masters degree in Physics from Pune University, and Masters and MPhil degrees in Defence and Strategic Studies from Madras University. He has done his doctorate from the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi. His specific areas of research include issues related to Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), Space Security and Strategic Technologies. He has contributed articles to various national and international journals, websites and newspapers. He has authored ten books and has also been an editor for seven books. He is a recipient of K. Subrahmanyam Award (2013) which is conferred for outstanding contribution in the area of strategic and security studies.
Gp Capt Ajey Lele is on the Editorial Committee of the Journal of Defence Studies.
Digital Public Infrastructure and the G20: A Framework for Global Governance
Consultant, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Gp Capt Ajey Lele’s commentary ‘Digital Public Infrastructure and the G20: A Framework for Global Governance’ has been published by the Society for the Study of Peace and Conflict (SSPC) on 14 September 2023.
India is on the Moon, but needs to avoid the “Moon Race” trap
Consultant Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Gp Capt Ajey Lele’s article ‘India is on the Moon, but needs to avoid the “Moon Race” trap’ has been published in ‘The Space Review’, on 05 September 2023.
At present, these states do not have the capability to take humans to the Moon and there is no demand to do so. It is important for them to develop robotic capability to get planetary resources back to the Earth. A “Moon Race” is a trap they should avoid at any cost, says Gp Capt Lele.
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Mission Chandrayaan-3 – India’s successful soft landing on the Moon
Consultant, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Gp Capt Ajey Lele’s article ‘Mission Chandrayaan-3 – India’s successful soft landing on the Moon’ has been published in Taaza Khabar News on 26 August 2023.
ISRO fully understands the importance of the Moon. They are planning to undertake Chandrayaan-4 as a joint mission with Japan in the near future. The success of soft-landing on the Moon is just the beginning of India’s quest to understand the Moon better. India’s Moon romance has just begun, says Gp Capt Lele.
Chandrayaan-III mission: India finally lightens dark side of the Moon
Consultant, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Gp Capt Ajey Lele’s article ‘Chandrayaan-III mission: India finally lightens dark side of the Moon’ has been published in ‘India vs Disinformation’, on 24 August 2023.
India cemented its place as a major international power in the space sector when its Chandrayaan-3 mission landed successfully near the Moon’s south pole, where attempted landings by several countries have failed earlier due to its rugged terrain, craters and deep trenches, writes Gp Capt Lele.
Moon Rovers – Impressive Past and the Present
Consultant, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Gp Capt Ajey Lele’s article ‘Moon Rovers – impressive past and the present’ has been published by Taaza Khabar News on 20 August 2023.
During the last seven-eight years, ISRO has gained good experience towards developing such robotic systems. Now, if they want to do more science with future Moon missions, then they need to leapfrog in rover technology development, says Gp Capt Lele.
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What Russia’s Lunar Mission Tells Us About Its Future Plans
Consultant Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Gp Capt Ajey Lele’s article ‘What Russia’s Lunar Mission Tells Us About Its Future Plans’ has been published in ‘The Wire’ on 14 August 2023.
Luna 25 is the country’s first lunar lander mission in 47 years. It could even be viewed as the first Russian mission to the moon since all the earlier missions were undertaken during the Soviet era, says Gp Capt Lele.
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ISRO: Conquering new horizons
Consultant Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Gp Capt Ajey Lele’s article ‘ISRO: Conquering new horizons’ has been published in ‘India vs Disinformation’ on 14 August 2023.
With Chandrayaan 3 mission under progress and success of the Mars mission in 2013-14 injecting a new confidence in its ability, ISRO has achieved a phenomenal progress in the space sector since the launch of the first satellite, Aryabhata in 1975, says Gp Capt Lele.
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Will Russian Luna 25 beat Chandrayaan-3 to land first on the South Pole of the Moon?
Consultant, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Gp Capt Ajey Lele’s article ‘Will Russian Luna 25 beat Chandrayaan-3 to land first on the South Pole of the Moon?’ has been published in Taaza Khabar News on 10 August 2023.
Cyber Threats to Space Domain: Risks and Responses
Consultant Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Gp Capt Ajey Lele’s monograph ‘Cyber Threats to Space Domain: Risks and Responses’ has been published by the Society for the Study of Peace and Conflict (SSPC) under the SSPC Monograph series.
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ISRO undertakes a commercial launch for Singapore
Consultant Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Gp Capt Ajey Lele’s article ‘ISRO undertakes a commercial launch for Singapore’ has been published in Financial Express on 31 July 2023.
The satellites during this mission are an interesting mix of requirement specific and experimental satellites. Satellite DS-SAR is developed under a corporation between DSTA (representing the Government of Singapore) and ST Engineering, says Gp Capt Lele.