India's Space Industry is predominantly driven by the national Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). [1] The industry includes over 500 private suppliers and other various bodies of the Department of Space [2] in all commercial, research and arbitrary regards. [3] There are relatively few independent private agencies, though they have been gaining an increased role since the start of the 21st century. In 2023, the space industry of India accounted for $9 billion or 2%-3% of the global space industry and employed more than 45,000 people.
In 2021, the Government of India launched the Indian Space Association (ISpA) to open the Indian space industry to private sectors and start-ups. Several private companies like Larsen & Toubro, Nelco (Tata Group), OneWeb, MapmyIndia, Walchandnagar Industries are founding members of this organisation. [4] Lieutenant General Anil Kumar Bhatt was appointed as the Director General of ISpA. [5]
The Government of India forayed into space exploration when scientists started to launch sounding rockets from Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS), Thiruvananthapuram. [6] [7] The establishment of the space agency lead to the development of small launch vehicles SLV-3 and ASLV, followed by larger PSLV and GSLV rockets in the 90s, which allowed India to shift larger payloads and undertake commercial launches for the international market. Private firms started to emerge later as subcontractors for various rocket and satellite components. Reforms liberalising the space sector and nondisclosure agreements came in the late 2010s, leading to the emergence of various private spaceflight companies.
By 2019, India had launched more than 300 satellites for various foreign states. [8] There were more than 40 startups in India in early 2021 in various stages of developing their own launch vehicles, designing satellites and other allied activities. [9] [10]
India's interest in space travel began in the early 1960s, when scientists launched a Nike-Apache rocket from TERLS, Kerala. [6] [7] The Indian National Committee for Space Research was subsequently set up, which later became the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) [11] functioning under a new independent Department of Space (DoS) in the 1970s under the Prime Minister of India. [12] [13]
ISRO joined the Interkosmos program to launch its first satellite, Aryabhata, from the former Soviet Union in 1975. [14]
SLV-3, a locally developed space rocket, was introduced in 1979, enabling India to undertake orbital launches. [15] Experience gained from SLV-3 was used to develop an Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle to develop technologies for launching satellites in geostationary orbit, but this ended up having very limited success and was eventually discontinued. [16] However, the study of a homegrown medium-lift launch vehicle went on, which lead to the realisation of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). [17]
Antrix Corporation was set up in 1992 to market ISRO's technology, launch services and transfer technology to Indian private firms, dawning the commercial space sector in India. [18] The PSLV rocket, introduced in 1993, enabled India to launch its polar satellites. Despite initial failures in its first two flights, PSLV had no further failures and emerged as ISRO's primary workhorse for launching domestic and foreign satellites. [19] [20] The development of GSLV and GSLV Mk III subsequently began in the 1990s and 2000s to attain the capability to launch communication satellites. However, the launchers didn't become operational until decades later, as India initially faced a great problem in the development of cryogenic engines. [21] [22] [23] Later, NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) replaced Antrix as the commercial arm of ISRO. [24]
The Indian space program emerged as an economic sector with government-backed investments with official institutions in the military and civilian administrations over decades of engineering. Over four decades, ISRO continued transferring technologies to small and medium enterprises (SMEs), leading to there being over 500 suppliers of various components in 2017. [25]
India's IT industry started engaging in this sector in the 1990s. The Department of Space actively promoted the growth of the sector, leading to the establishment of the manufacturing of various systems. Large mapping projects for various civilian and military requirements were outsourced by the government, which drove the growth of India's private space sector. However, the private sector still played a supporting role, while the government continued to dominate the space sector. [26]
In the late 2010s, a large number of startups started to emerge throughout the country with their own proposals and concepts to develop various satellite technologies and rockets. [27] [28] [29]
A range of initiatives to deregulate the private space sector were introduced by Narendra Modi's cabinet in June 2020, and the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (INSPACe) was established for incubating technology into private firms, known as Non-Government Private Entities (NGPEs) by DOS. [30] [31] NGPEs were included as a crucial part of ISRO's Space Communication Policy draft issued in October 2020. [32] As of 2021, a new Space Activities Bill and a space policy are being drafted by NALSAR Centre for Aerospace and Defence laws to regulate space manufacturing and the legal aspects of the industry in India. [33] [34]
An amendment was made in the FDI policy for space sector through a gazette notification dated April 16, 2024, called the Foreign Exchange Management (Non-debt Instruments) (Third Amendment) Rules, 2024. The liberalized entry routes under the amended policy are aimed at attracting potential investors in the Indian companies in space. As per them, up to 74 per cent FDI for satellite manufacturing & operation, satellite data products and ground segment & user segment are allowed under automatic route. Beyond 74 per cent these activities are under government route. FDI up to 49 per cent is allowed for launch vehicles and associated systems or subsystems, creation of spaceports for launching and receiving spacecraft are under automatic route but beyond 49 per cent government permission would be required. The cabinet on February 21 had allowed 74% foreign direct investment (FDI) under automatic route for satellite manufacturing, upto 49% under automatic route for launch vehicles, and upto 100% under automatic route for manufacturing of components and systems.
The new rules will come into effect from April 16 2024. [35] [36] [37]
Throughout this time, various nondisclosure agreements and tech transfers have been taking place between ISRO and private entities. [38] [39]
In July 2024, Minister of Finance Nirmala Sitharaman announced that the Indian government will form a $119 million venture capital find for space startups in India. [40] The Union Cabinet of India approved the creation of the venture capital fund in October 2024. [41] India has more than 400 private space enterprises as of 2024, up from 54 in 2020. [42]
ISRO and DoS continue to remain dominant in the national space sectFDr, having launched more than 100 domestic and more than 300 foreign satellites for 33 countries, [8] while private firms have gradually been gaining ground. [1] [2] [3] In 2019, the space industry of India accounted for $7 billion or 2% of the global space industry and employed more than 45,000 people. [43] [31] Antrix Corporation expects the industry to grow up to $50 billion by 2024 if provided with appropriate policy support. [44]
In February 2020, there were 35 startups that came up in the space sector, of which three focused on designing rockets, 14 on designing satellites, and the rest on drone-based applications and services sector. The number further grew to over 40 in January 2021. [9] [10] Two companies, Skyroot Aerospace and AgniKul Cosmos, have tested their own engines and are in advanced stages of developing their own launch vehicles, [45] [46] while others have their launchers in the production pipeline and have launched satellites using ISRO rockets.
The space industry has contributed $60 billion to India's gross domestic product (GDP) between 2014 and 2024. It created 96,000 direct jobs and 4.7 million indirect jobs, according to the Socio-Economic Impact Analysis of Indian Space Programme Report. India now has the eighth-largest space economy in the world, with space sector earnings reaching $6.3 billion as of 2023. [42] [47]
The Indian economy has benefited from a multiplier effect of $2.54 for every dollar earned by the Indian space industry, according to the European consulting firm Novaspace, with India's space industry workforce being 2.5 times more productive than the country's wider industrial workforce. [47] At a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6%, the Indian space economy which is valued at approximately ₹6,700 crore ($8.4 billion) as of 2024 is projected to reach $13 billion by 2025, accounting for 2% to 3% of the worldwide space economy. The entire amount of money invested in ISRO over the past 55 years since its founding is less than NASA's annual budget. [42] Compared to CNSA, which receives over $18 billion, and NASA, which works with a budget surpassing $25 billion, ISRO's annual budget in 2024 is approximately $1.6 billion. [48] [49]
India's space industry aims to focus on various niches in the space domain, which include retrieving space data, constructing small satellites and cheap launches into orbit. [50]
Name | Established | Ownership | Services | Portals |
---|---|---|---|---|
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) | 1969 | State-owned | ||
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited | 1964 | State-owned |
| |
Ananth Technologies | 1992 | Private |
| |
Data Patterns (India) Ltd | 1985 | Private |
| |
Antrix Corporation | 1992 | State-owned |
| |
Godrej Aerospace | 1897 | Private | ||
Larsen & Toubro | 1938 | Private |
| |
NewSpace India Limited | 2019 | State-owned |
|
Name | Established | Ownership | Services | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|
AgniKul Cosmos | 2017 | Private | Launch vehicles | |
Bellatrix Aerospace | 2015 | Private | ||
Dhruva Space | 2012 | Private | Satellites | |
Spaceover Corp | 2023 | Private | Research | |
Pixxel | 2019 | Private | Earth imaging satellites | |
Satellize | 2018 | Private | Satellites | |
Skyroot Aerospace | 2018 | Private | Launch vehicles | |
Manastu Space | 2017 | Private |
| |
Erisha Space | 2022 | Private |
|
The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) is an expendable medium-lift launch vehicle designed and operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It was developed to allow India to launch its Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellites into Sun-synchronous orbits, a service that was, until the advent of the PSLV in 1993, only commercially available from Russia. PSLV can also launch small size satellites into Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO).
Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) is a class of expendable launch systems operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). GSLV has been used in fifteen launches since 2001.
Indian Space Research Organisation is India's national space agency. It serves as the principal research and development arm of the Department of Space (DoS), overseen by the Prime Minister of India, with the Chairman of ISRO also serving as the chief executive of the DoS. It is primarily responsible for space-based operations, space exploration, international space cooperation and the development of related technologies. The agency maintains a constellation of imaging, communication and remote sensing satellites. It operates the GAGAN and IRNSS satellite navigation systems. It has sent three missions to the Moon and one mission to Mars.
The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) is a major space research centre of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), focusing on rocket and space vehicles for India's satellite programme. It is located in Thiruvananthapuram, in the Indian state of Kerala.
Satish Dhawan Space Centre – SDSC, is the primary spaceport of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), located in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
Antrix Corporation Limited is an Indian state-owned Aerospace company, headquartered in Bangalore, India, under the administrative control of the Department of Space. It was incorporated in September 1992, as a commercial and marketing arm of ISRO by prompting, commercially delivering and marketing products and services emanating from ISRO. It provides major technical consultancy services and transfers technologies to industry.
The Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), Thiruvananthapuram is a research and development centre functioning under Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It has two units located at Valiamala, in Thiruvananthapuram of Kerala, and Bengaluru of Karnataka. LPSC is augmented by ISRO Propulsion Complex at Mahendragiri of Tamil Nadu.
The Launch Vehicle Mark-3 or LVM3 is a three-stage medium-lift launch vehicle developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Primarily designed to launch communication satellites into geostationary orbit, it is also due to launch crewed missions under the Indian Human Spaceflight Programme. LVM3 has a higher payload capacity than its predecessor, GSLV.
G. Madhavan Nair is an Indian space scientist and a former chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation, and Secretary to the Department of Space, Government of India. His tenure saw commencement of Indian Human Spaceflight Programme and launch of extraterrestrial exploration mission Chandrayaan-I.
K. Radhakrishnan a.k.a. Koppillil Radhakrishnan is an Indian space scientist who headed the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) as Chairman of Space Commission, Secretary of the Department of Space, Government of India. Under his leadership, India became the first country to reach Mars in its first attempt.
Parivakkam Subramaniam Veeraraghavan is a well known space scientist and rocket technologist of India. He has served as the Director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala and as the Director of ISRO Inertial Systems Unit (IISU), Thiruvananthapuram. One of the most senior scientists at Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), Veeraraghavan is known for his contributions to launch vehicle technology, especially in the areas of integration & checkout and Inertial Systems of ISROs launch vehicles. Presently, he is holding the honorary position of Prof. Vikram Sarabhai Distinguished Professor in VSSC, ISRO since January 2013.
M.Y.S. Prasad is an Indian scientist and the former director of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre Sriharikota Range (SDSC-SHAR). Govt. of India’s Civilian Award Padma Shri for the year 2014 for his distinguished service in Science and Technology.
PSLV-C37 was the 39th mission of the Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) program and its 16th mission in the XL configuration undertaken by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Launched on 15 February 2017 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, the rocket successfully carried and deployed a record number of 104 satellites in Sun-synchronous orbits in a single mission, breaking the earlier record of launching 37 satellites by a Russian Dnepr rocket on 19 June 2014. This record was held until the launch of the Transporter-1 mission by SpaceX on 24 January 2021 which launched 143 satellites.
The Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) is a small-lift launch vehicle developed by ISRO to deliver 500 kg (1,100 lb) payload to low Earth orbit or 300 kg (660 lb) payload to Sun-synchronous orbit. The rocket supports multi-orbital drop-offs capability for small satellites.
The PSLV-C51 is the 53rd mission of the Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) program. The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)-C51 was launched at 04:54 (UTC) / 10:24 (IST) on 28 February 2021 with the main payload from Brazil, INPE's Amazônia-1 and 18 other ride-sharing small satellites.
The Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV) is a three-stage partially reusable Heavy-lift launch vehicle, currently under development by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). This vehicle is designed to replace currently operational systems like PSLV, GSLV and LVM3. The project was previously referred to as Unified Launch Vehicle (ULV).
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