Indian government to now allow private companies to explore space

As part of the Government’s Aatma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced provisions aimed towards encouraging greater participation of the private sector in India’s space sector. This was announced by her in the fourth press conference that she chaired while also mentioning the relief packages for the 8 sectors of minerals, coal, power distribution companies, civil aviation, defence production, space sector and atomic energy.

The relief package includes provisions for providing a liberal playing field for private players by making the policy and regulatory environment predictable and bankable for the private sector companies engaged in space based services like satellites, launches, outer space travel, planetary exploration etc. Work on rocket systems has already been going on with sustained collaborative efforts from ISRO and Indian companies like Godrej Space, Solar Industries India and L&T.

With the new policy, private sector companies like the ones mentioned above and other companies as well will be allowed to use ISRO facilities and other relevant assets to carry out research and testing. Policies related to Remote Sensing will be liberalised to make data available for use by tech entrepreneurs. With remote sensing technology we can detect and monitor the physical characteristics of an area through a satellite or an aircraft by measuring reflected and emitted radiation at a distance. Its importance lies in its uses by scientific communities in developing sonar systems and for mapping temperature changes in oceans. Remote sensing data of the earth finds its uses in tracking clouds to predict the weather.

These reforms are not entirely new though, because Antrix Corporation Limited and NewSpace India Limited already exist as business arms of ISRO and are involved in the promotion and commercial exploitation of space products and transfer of ISRO technologies to private players. Antrix Corporation Limited, initially completely owned by the GOI was incorporated as a private limited company (still owned by the GOI) in September of 1992 and its main activities include

• Facilitating development of space related industrial capabilities in India.
• Delivering space systems and services to global organisations.
• Providing socially relevant services like telemedicine and tele-education.
• Scientific missions including earth observation.
• Remote sensing data services.

NewSpace India Limited, a private institution set up by a Bill passed by the Cabinet in March of 2019, is under the control of the Department of Space, and is in line with the government’s Vision 2030 which includes making India “the launchpad for the satellites of the world and placing an Indian astronaut in space by 2022″.  NSIL will procure licenses from ISRO to undertake space activities such as launching satellites and will then sub-license private enterprises so they may do the same. In this way, it will act as the connecting link between ISRO and private Indian companies. This will help with the technology transfer to private enterprises and they will be able to aid ISRO in furthering India’s space program.

This cooperation of the private and public companies in the space sector will benefit India in not only furthering scientific development, but also increase its defence capabilities and natural disaster preparedness because of the increased accuracy of prediction of weather events.