ISRO-private partnerships can make India capture 8 percent of global space economy: Official

The Indian space industry contributes 2% to the global space economy, but a senior official has said that this figure may reach 8% with the help of the private sector and ISRO.

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When the new space policy is finally published, private companies will be free to develop satellites, lease out transponders, construct launch vehicles, and discover new uses for space.

“The most important objective of the space policy is to promote and facilitate the private sector playing a key role in the space sector,” Pawan Kumar Goenka, Chairman, Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre told PTI.

Goenka suggested that the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) should take a more active role in advancing the commercial space sector's technological, ecosystemic, and infrastructural needs.

“India has an appetite for space. We have 100 start-ups of which two-thirds have been established in the last two years,” he said.

According to Goenka, India has the potential to become a global centre for satellite production and launch, using rockets ranging from the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle to the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle.

In 2020, IN-SPACe was established as a central hub agency with a single point of contact, independent of other space-related organisations, to advance the interests of private enterprise in space. It was also responsible for approving the private sector's use of ISRO infrastructure, including for the creation of Indian satellite systems and the launch of privately-built rockets.

According to Goenka, it took the United States over a decade to make the shift from NASA to the private sector, but now that the space industry is more accessible, India may hope to catch up to the United States within the next ten to fifteen years.

On June 22nd, NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), India's newest space public sector initiative, launched GSAT-24, the country's first dedicated commercial satellite since the opening of the space sector. For 15 years, Tata Play leased satellite bandwidth from the NSIL.

The NSIL successfully launched three satellites for Singaporean companies on the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) on June 30. This was the NSIL's second commercial mission. It also carried the IN-SPACe-approved payloads of two Indian startups: Dhruva Space and Digantara.

“Start-ups need more help with technology and accessing the ecosystem of ISRO. We will look at that,” Goenka said.

Companies that have been ISRO suppliers in the past, he added, should explore taking on more ambitious projects like the development of larger launch vehicles like PSLV and GSLV and should also think about mentoring new businesses.

Goenka said that ISRO was building a third launchpad in the Sriharikota area as well as a second spaceport in the Tuticorin region of Tamil Nadu.

(With inputs from PTI)