CABINET NOD FOR PRIVATE SECTOR IN SPACE

NEWDELHI: The Union cabinet, at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved the formation of a new organization, the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), seeking to open up space infrastructure to the private sector. At a press briefing held shortly after the cabinet meeting, Union minister of state Jitendra Singh termed the decision “historic.”

IN-SPACe will provide a level playing field for private sector companies to use Indian space infrastructure, he said. “It will also hand-hold, promote and guide the private industries in space activities,” he said.

The far-reaching reforms in the space sector are aimed at boosting the private sector’s participation in the entire range of space activities. “This will unlock India’s potential in the space sector”, Singh said.

He said the new organisation will play a supplementary role to the Indian Space Research Organisation, formed in 1969, to “harness space technology for national development while pursuing space science research and planetary exploration”.

The public sector New Space India Limited (NSIL) will endeavour to reorient space activities from a supply-driven to a demand-driven model, thereby ensuring optimum use of space assets.