India has unveiled its long-awaited Indian Space Policy 2023, which sets out guidelines and rules for the country’s space ecosystem. The policy highlights the Indian government’s aim to increase its space capabilities and to bring regulatory certainty to the space sector reforms that were announced in 2020.
The policy also defines the role and responsibilities of the newly-formed Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Center (IN-SPACe), which works with private players, including space tech startups in the country, to develop solutions and services for the space sector. The center will function as an autonomous government organization, mandated to promote, guide, hand-hold and authorize space activities in the country.
In addition to private participants, IN-SPACe will collaborate with academia, as well as national and global industry players to boost space developments in the country. The policy allows startups to undertake end-to-end activities in the space sector through the establishment and operation of space objects, ground-based assets, and related services, such as communication, remote sensing, and navigation, subject to the guidelines issued by IN-SPACe.
ISRO has defined its role to focus primarily on research and development of new space technologies and applications, and for expanding human understanding of outer space. The space agency will enable free and open data access from its remote sensing satellites of ground sample distance of 5 meters and higher to private and public participants in the space sector. Additionally, it will make archived satellite data and satellite-derived thematic data from remote sensing satellites available on a free and open basis for research and development purposes.
The framework also defines the responsibilities of NewSpace India Limited and the Department of Space. NewSpace India Limited is tasked with commercializing space technologies and managing the production, leasing, and procurement of space assets from both private and public players. Meanwhile, the Department of Space will lead implementation of the space policy and ensure that responsibilities are properly distributed among the different stakeholders.
The Indian Space Association (ISpA) director general Lt. Gen. AK Bhatt said the policy provided much-needed clarity on all space activities and would help create opportunities for private players. The association counts space tech startups, including Mayfield-backed AgniKul and Singapore’s SIG-invested Skyroot Aerospace, as members, as well as private companies such as Bharti Airtel and OneWeb.
Private participants, including startups in the country’s space sector, have also asked the government to introduce a foreign direct investment policy to help attract global investors. Details on that front are yet to be announced.
The new policy comes months after the government released its draft for consultations last year as a significant update to the initial set of rules released in 2017. The Indian government has been working towards bolstering space activities in the country to make it an attractive market for customers around the globe.
