India’s private space sector
Context:
Recently, India’s private space sector is seeing a significant growth after the Space Sector Reforms of 2020, which allowed private players alongside Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
Relevance:
GS-03 (Space technology)
Key highlights:
- More than 200 startups have utilized ISRO’s infrastructure for launching and testing.
- Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) has provided regulatory and financial support, including a ₹1,000 crore venture capital fund.
- Moreover, the POEM (PSLV Orbital Experimental Module) program has significantly increased startup payloads, from 6 in 2022 to 24 in 2024.
Impact of Space Sector Reforms 2020:
- It allowed private sector participation in satellite design, launch vehicle manufacturing, and ground station services.
- IN-SPACe was created as a regulatory body to facilitate and promote private sector involvement.
- NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) facilitates technology transfer from ISRO to private entities.
About Space Sector Reforms 2020:
- It widened the participation of private players in the space sector.
- It enhanced private participation in satellite design, launch vehicle manufacturing, and ground station services.
- It enforced IN-SPACe to facilitate and enable private sector participation and non-government private entities (NGPEs).
- It paved the way for technology transfer from ISRO to private entities through NewSpace India Limited (NSIL).
Prelims Question:
Consider the following statements:
- NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) is the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
- NSIL acts as a single-window operator to facilitate the ease of doing business in the space sector.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) None of the above
Ans: (c) Both 1 and 2
Explanation:
NSIL was established in 2019 under the administrative control of the Department of Space. It is the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and facilitates the ease of doing business in the space sector.
