Lok Sabha Question No. 2978 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-20
Subject: Private Players in Space
Ministry: SPACE
Asked by: Keshari Devi Patel, Satyadev Pachauri, Dushyant Singh, Ranjanben Dhananjay Bhatt, Arvind Kumar Sharma

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## DEPARTMENT OF SPACE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2978

## TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2023

## PRIVATE PLAYERS IN SPACE

## 2978.  SHRIMATI KESHARI DEVI PATEL:

SHRI SATYADEV PACHAURI:

SHRI DUSHYANT SINGH:

SHRIMATI RANJANBEN DHANANJAY BHATT:

DR. ARVIND KUMAR SHARMA:

Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state:

- (a) whether opening the space to private players has heralded a new era in Indian space sector, if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether  the  Government  has  taken  any  initiative  for  greater participation of private industries in the space sector;
- (c) if  so,  the  details  thereof  along  with  the  number  of  registered startups in this sector;
- (d) the efforts that are being taken by the Government in reaching out  to  the  academic  community  as  well  as  young  startups through  hand-holding,  ecosystem  support  and  funding  in  the country's backward areas; and
- (e) the details of the contribution of space sector to the economy in the last five years and the projected contribution in the coming years?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES & PENSIONS AND IN THE PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE (DR. JITENDRA SINGH):

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## (a), (b) and (c)

Yes sir, the government has announced the Indian Space Policy 2023,  which  enables  end  to  end  participation  of  NGEs  in  all domain of space activities. Due to incentives and reform in the space sector, following are the developments and impact:

-  The number of Space Start-Ups have gone up, from just 1 in 2014 to 189 in 2023 as per DPIIT Start-Up India Portal.
-  The investment in Indian Space Start-Ups has increased to $
- 124.7 Million in 2023.
-  Some NGEs launched their own satellites. Many other Space Industries and Start-Ups are also building their own Satellites & constellations. These satellites shall contribute to applications in agriculture, disaster management, environmental monitoring, etc.
-  One NGE launched their sub-orbital launch vehicle.
-  A  private  launchpad  and  mission  control  centre  established within  the  ISRO  campus  for  the  first  time  by  an  NGE.  Suborbital launch by that NGE is scheduled shortly.
-  Private companies are exploring satellite-based communication  solutions.    Private  players  are  increasingly participating in space-based applications and services.
-  Satellite  integration  and  testing  facilities  are  coming  up  in private sector.
-  The  local  manufacturing  of  the  satellite  subsystems  and Ground systems are being taken up by private sector.
-  Indian private space companies are increasingly entering into collaborations and partnerships with international space organizations and companies.
- (d) Efforts  that  are  being  taken  in  reaching  out  to  the  academic community  as  well  as young  startups through handholding, ecosystem support and funding in the country's backward areas are as follow:
1. A national committee for adoption of space technology education in  India  is  formed  by  IN-SPACe,  with  an  aim  to  facilitate  and promote  the  integration  of  space  technology  education  across academic institutions in India, fostering awareness, skill development and research.
2. List  of  retired  ISRO  subject  experts  is  published  on  IN-SPACe Digital Platform (IDP). NGEs can approach these mentors directly for expert advice etc.
3. Periodically invite willingness from the technocrats having experience  in  space  sector  as  mentors  and  connect  them  to NGEs.
4. To encourage Students/Academic Institutions to carry out space activities, a committee has been constituted which will evaluate their proposal and provide necessary guidance.
5. In  order  to  develop  quality  manpower  in  the  space  sector,  INSPACe  is  periodically  organising  skill  development  short  term courses in association with ISRO along with Seed Fund Scheme.
- (e) The  current  size  of  the  Indian  Space  Economy  is  estimated around $8.4 billion (around 2-3% of global space economy) and it is  expected  that  with  the  implementation  of  the  strategy  $  44 billion Indian space economy can be achieved by the year 2033. The  role  of  the  private  sector  will  be  prime  to  achieve  the expected economy figure. It is expected that private sector will take up independently end to end solution in satellite manufacturing,  launch  vehicle  manufacturing,  provide  satellite services, and manufacture ground systems.

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