'Indian startups will soon launch space satellites,' says Union Minister Jitendra Singh

Jitendra Singh, the Union Minister for Science and Technology, stated on Monday that Indian startups would soon test their rockets and launch space satellites as well as satellite constellations.

Jitendra Singh said the "revolutionary and out of the box decision" of PM Modi to open up the space sector to private industry in June 2020 changed the very nature of the country's space ecosystem in his speech at the India Space Conclave here on the occasion of the first anniversary of the Indian Space Association, ISpA.

The Minister further disclosed that L&T and HAL are domestically producing five PSLVs, and OneWeb is preparing to use ISRO and NSIL to launch its satellites.

In a short period of time, "from a couple of space start-ups three-four years back, today we have 102 startups working in cutting-edge areas of space debris management, nano-satellite, launch vehicle, ground systems, research etc." according to Singh, space reforms have unleashed the creative potential of startups.

According to the minister, a Space Revolution led by ISRO and including the private sector and startups is imminent with the integration of R&D, academia, and business with equal stakes.

According to Singh, the country's young, private industrial company will soon take the lead in the disruption of space technology on a worldwide scale because of its strength and creative capacity. In order to take advantage of the endless potential provided by the space domain, he expressed hope that India's young technological wizards will break through new obstacles in the realm of space technology.

The minister praised ISpA's role in building and establishing worldwide links for the expansion of the Indian space industry in just one year. He claimed that ISpA members are always working to establish policy advocacy and participate in the sharing of information and vision in order to position India as a leader in the field of space tech domain.

ISpA is playing a significant role in assisting the Indian Government's efforts to establish India as a leader in the field of commercial space-based missions. According to him, the ISpA's function as a commune to strategically plan interactions between the major stakeholders has become crucial and essential.

The minister hoped that ISpA will adhere to the government's approach to space reforms while upholding the motto "Atmanirbhar Bharat," which will bring about significant technological developments and investments in the nation.

Focusing on the strategic importance of space in light of current international conflicts, Jitendra Singh remarked that space, a dual-use technological area, is emerging as a significant multi-faceted facilitator with unmatched reach.

He continued by saying that many countries are currently concentrating on improving their military space capabilities in order to ensure that it is used in a safe, secure, and friendly manner as well as to have the potential to deter enemies when necessary.

In addition, the Indian government is taking strong, decisive steps to ensure Atmanirbharta in the space sector to ensure that "our private industrial capability and capacity are effectively energised and channelized to develop cutting-edge solutions which would give India a decisive edge over our others in times to come," according to Singh. Singh further explained that India has resolved to leverage the strengths of this emerging dimension of warfare.

The minister emphasised the helpful role played by ISpA in engaging with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, the Ministry of Defense, and the three services to address their requirements, according to a release. He also stated that ISpA will play a much deeper role in supporting the government's initiatives to build capability and capacity in the future.

(With inputs from ANI)