The Sun is Rising Over India's Space Sector

2023 was a watershed year for India's space ambitions. With private players growing, and start-ups increasing, the sector is poised to become the world's envy by 2029

- NILANJAN DAS

UNDOUBTEDLY AMONG India’s many achievements in 2023, the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission is a high point. India became the first country to land near the moon’s South Pole, and the fourth country to soft land on the moon. This success put India’s capabilities in space technology in the global spotlight.

Even as Chandrayaan-3 symbolises the new India raring to make its mark on the global space sector, there is a huge transformation taking place with space emerging as a sunrise sector in India. The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) continues to be a beacon of innovation, but the game changer in future will be through the participation of the country’s private sector.

The past year has already seen a slew of announcements and initiatives by the government to strengthen the private space ecosystem. The creation of the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) ignited the non-government entities (NGEs), creating a much-needed support system to participate in India’s space economy. The much-appreciated Indian Space Policy 2023 laid the foundation for a structured and dynamic space sector, encouraging private sector participation in a range of activities from manufacturing rockets and satellites, launching them, operating earth stations, and disseminating satellite data to developing downstream space applications.