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NEW DELHI: Private players herald a new era in the Indian Space sector.
This was stated by Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh in response to a question in the Rajya Sabha while referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s historic decision to open the Space sector for PPP participation.
The government has announced the Indian Space Policy 2023, which enables end to end participation of NGEs in all domain of space activities. Due to incentives and reform in the space sector, following are the developments and impact:
According to the Minister’s reply, the number of Space Start-Ups have gone up, from just 1 in 2014 to 189 in 2023 as per DPIIT Start-Up India Portal. The investment in Indian Space Start-Ups has increased to $ 124.7 Million.
In addition, some NGEs launched their own satellites. Many other Space Industries and Start-Ups are also building their own Satellites & constellations. These satellites shall contribute to applications in agriculture, disaster management, environmental monitoring, etc. One NGE launched their sub-orbital launch vehicle.
A private launchpad and mission control center established within the ISRO campus for the first time by an NGE. Sub-orbital launch by that NGE is scheduled shortly. Private companies are exploring satellite-based communication solutions. Private players are increasingly participating in space-based applications and services.
Satellite integration and testing facilities are coming up in private sector.
The reply further stated that local manufacturing of the satellite subsystems and Ground systems are being taken up by the private sector. Indian private space companies are increasingly entering into collaborations and partnerships with international space organizations and companies.
It is expected that private sector will take up independently end to end solution in satellite manufacturing, launch vehicle manufacturing, provide satellite services, and manufacture ground systems, the Minister added. A true force multiplier.
In reply to another question, Dr Jitendra Singh informed that the Government has released the Indian Space Policy – 2023 that clearly delineates the roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders viz. Department of Space, ISRO, NSIL and IN-SPACe. The Policy also provides a level playing field to Non-Government Entities [NGEs] in the space sector by enabling their participation across the entire value chain of space activities in an end-to-end manner.
The Minister recalled that in August 2023, ISRO achieved a major feat as Chandrayaan-3 lander, Vikram, successfully soft-landed on the Moon. Subsequently, the rover, Pragyan, ramped down on the lunar surface.In September 2023, ISRO launched India’s first solar observatory – the Aditya-L1 spacecraft.
In October 2023, ISRO accomplished the first developmental flight of Test Vehicle (TV-D1) with the in-flight abort demonstration of the Crew Escape System (CES). TV-D1 Crew Module was safely recovered from sea with the help of Indian Navy and transported back to ISITE, Bengaluru, he informed.
