Ashwin Prasad
Overview of the Indian Space Sector
On 24 June, 2020, the Union Cabinet of India initiated signicant reforms in the Indian space domain. 1 These space reforms have a few broad objectives, each closely linked to the rest:
- Boosting private industry’s role in the Indian space sector.
- ● Unburdening ISRO from its routine operation tasks so that it can focus on critical R&D, deep space exploration and human spaceight.
- ● Enhancing Indian capabilities in advanced space technology.
- ● Aiding in advancing India's space ambitions
An overview of the pre-reform space sector is needed to understand why the government undertook these reforms.
Backdrop of the Reforms
Space technology is deeply consequential for civilian and military applications. The size of the global space economy will triple to reach $1.8 trillion by 2035. 2 Despite being an elite space-faring nation with signicant technological achievements, India's share of this economy is estimated to be less than 2%.
The Indian government needed to increase the national space capabilities, address growing technology needs, and gain an inuential voice in the global dialogues related to outer space aairs. This voice needs to be a resonant chorus emerging from diverse stakeholders in the country operating across various domains. Until recently, this ecosystem was largely missing in India, with almost the entire space sector restricted to one organisation.
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