New Delhi - As the latest Indian Space Policy sets the stage for private sector participation, India’s Minister Jitendra Singh said the policy opens up the sector for enhanced participation of non-government entities across the entire value chain of the space economy.
Traditionally, the Indian space sector has been controlled by governmental organizations like the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It has been in charge of India’s endeavors in space exploration and the development of satellite initiatives. The government has set up the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) as a single-window agency for the promotion and authorization of space activities, informed the minister in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.
Singh also informed that the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory – India (LIGO-India) project has been approved by the government with the Department of Atomic Energy as the Lead Agency.
He added that, after completion of the project, the LIGO-India will be operated as a national facility for detecting gravitation waves and research in related areas of astronomy. India’s might in the space domain is well-known around the world.
Notably, the country has been successful in carrying out various ground-breaking space missions and establishing its position as one of the prominent players in the field of space exploration. In recent years, ISRO has been successful in establishing itself as a reliable and cost-effective launch partner for foreign nations. In an exclusive interview with DD News, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said that India has launched 389 foreign satellites in the last nine years.
Further, by launching these foreign satellites, India has earned around USD 157 million and 223 million Euros so far in the last nine years, reported NewsonAir.
The Government of India unleashed reforms in the space domain in 2020, opening the doors for enhanced participation of NGEs in carrying out end-to-end activities in the space domain with an aim to provide them with a level playing field.
Subsequent to these reforms, the Government seeks to provide regulatory certainty to space activities by various stakeholders, in order to create a thriving space ecosystem.
The Indian Space Policy – 2023 has thus been formulated as an overarching, composite, and dynamic framework to implement the reform vision approved by Cabinet.
The vision of the policy is to augment space capabilities; enable, encourage, and develop a flourishing commercial presence in space; use space as a driver of technology development and derived benefits in allied areas; pursue international relations, and create an ecosystem for effective implementation of space applications among all stakeholders; for, the nation’s socio-economic development and security, protection of environment and lives, pursuing peaceful exploration of outer space, stimulation of public awareness and scientific quest, according to ISRO. In pursuance of the vision set out for the space sector, Government seeks to pursue a holistic approach by encouraging and promoting greater private sector participation in the entire value chain of the space economy, including in the creation of space and ground-based assets
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