All Eyes To The Skies: The Coming Of Age Of The Indian Space Programme

This does not mean that the country’s space journey began just the other day. It started with the establishment of the Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) in 1962, the formation of the iconic Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in 1972 where Vikram Sarabhai, widely regarded as the father of India's space programme, played a crucial role.

Thereafter, it has been a journey of steady but gradual growth: from India launching its first satellite Aryabhata in 1975 to being the first country in the world to reach the Mars orbit in the very first attempt in 2013 (Mangalyaan) and the latest launch of Chandrayaan-3 in 2023.

In recent years, one of the most important achievements in the space sector has been that of the private players and startups. A recent Deloitte report stated that “this burgeoning landscape has generated a remarkable surge in the number of space startups, demonstrating exponential growth from just a single entity in 2014 to more than 190 startups in 2023”.

“This is complemented by the private investments, which have seen more than US$ 200 million till now with US$ 119 million funding in 2022 alone,” said the report.

Significantly, Indian space start-ups like Dhruva Space, Bellatrix Aerospace and TM2Space will launch their payloads via ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle on January 1, 2024. Another start-up, the Bengaluru-based Pixxel makes hyperspectral imaging satellites that capture a wide spectrum of light to provide details that are not invisible to ordinary cameras.

Recognising the sector’s importance, the government released the Indian Space Policy 2023 in April 2023 to provide a comprehensive framework and vision for the future of the country’s space programme.

Chandrajit Bannerjee, Director General, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), said, “The Indian space sector stands at the cusp of transformational change, driven by positive regulatory enablers and global recognition. The Indian private sector has also shown unwavering dedication.”

ISRO’s Crucial Role

ISRO's technology transfer programme has been instrumental in commercialising 400 technologies, offering them to 235 industries. Moreover, it has filed about 417 patents in the space technology domain.

By providing access to its testing facilities, infrastructure, and expertise, ISRO has supported both the private industry and academia to engage in space-related research and development. Over the past five decades until 2022, ISRO supported more than 100 academic institutions executing more than 500 projects and space-related programmes to the public.

Moreover, ISRO has diversified its mission to SSLVs, specific launches for commercial usage like OneWeb and Singaporean satellites and experimental missions like Chandrayaan and Aditya L1.

International collaborations have also been crucial to take it to a position as a global space leader. Today, ISRO has collaborations with the American National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), European Space Agency (ESA), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES, France) and the State Space Corporation of the Russian Federation (ROSCOSMOS).

A Call To Action

It is in this backdrop that a future agenda needs to be planned based on India’s weaknesses and strengths. First, there is still a huge gap between the insights from the satellite imagery and the use cases for which they are being applied. Future growth should focus on the gap.

Second, to enhance investor interest, the grant of more government contracts to established Indian private players could give a fillip to emerging start-ups.

Third, ISRO's international collaborations have been essential to the growth of the sector. Going ahead, these should be enhanced with more countries especially with the United States through the Artemis Accords.

For example, one of the future challenges in the space odyssey would be to create sustainable space habitats. Complex problems like these would find better and faster solutions through collaborations.

Finally, as the Indian space ecosystem develops and matures, a few private players are playing across multiple segments of the value chain. There should be more of these in 2024 and beyond.

Summing up, Sreeram Ananthasayanam, Partner, Deloitte India, said in the report, “Space is no longer the exclusive domain of a few nations. India as a rising space power is well positioned to play a significant role in this new era of space exploration and development.”