PM launches India’s first private space association
NEW DELHI: India will soon have policies on space communication and remote sensing, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday while launching the Indian Space Association (ISpA), a lobby group formed to promote space technology.
The draft policies, which are being finalised, are expected to enable commercialisation of space technology and facilitate private investments in India’s space sector.
“The government’s approach to space reforms is based on four pillars,” the prime minister said. “First, the freedom of innovation in the private sector. Second, the role of the government as an enabler. Third, preparing the youth for the future. And fourth, to see the space sector as a resource for the progress of the common man.”
The new association counts private companies such as Bharti Airtel, Larson & Toubro, Tata Group’s Nelco, OneWeb, MapmyIndia, Walchandnagar Industries and Alpha Design Technologies as members, besides the state-owned Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). “The space sector is a major medium for the progress of 130 crore countrymen. For India, the space sector means better mapping, imaging and connectivity facilities for the common people,” Modi said. “Also, space sector means better speed from shipment to delivery for entrepreneurs. It also means better security and income for fishermen and better forecasts of natural calamities.”
The opening up of the space sector is in sync with the government’s overall reforms policy, Modi said.
Modi said his vision of a selfreliant India is a strategy to make the country a global manufacturing and innovations powerhouse by enhancing the capabilities of local entrepreneurs and youth. It will play a big role in global development, enhancing the prestige of India’s human resources talent, the prime minister said.
In the past seven years, space technology has been converted into a tool of last-mile delivery and leakage-free, transparent governance, Modi said, providing examples of the use of geotagging in houses for the poor, roads and infrastructure projects. NavIC is an independent regional navigation satellite system developed by ISRO.
Several countries are turning their attention to space technologies, especially since 2020 when SpaceX became the first private agency to fly humans into space. The company also has the Starlink project -- a constellation of satellites meant to deliver internet connectivity, as does its upstart rival, Blue Origin and its project Kuiper. Earlier this month, SpaceX announced it intends to offer Starlink broadband services in India starting December 2022.
According to estimates of the space industry, 95% of the $366 billion earned in the sector was from what is called the spacefor-earth economy. This includes goods or services produced in space for use on earth, such as telecommunications and internet infrastructure, earth observation capabilities, and national security satellites.
The announcement by Modi on Monday about the policies in work could serve as a crucial signal for potential investors.