PM urges startups to take advantage of space sector opportunities

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged start-ups to take full advantage of growing opportunities in the Indian space sector.

In his monthly radio broadcast "Mann Ki Baat", Modi said that Indian industries and startups are engaged in bringing new innovations and new technologies in this field. In particular, the collaboration of IN-SPACe is going to make a big difference in this area.

"Non-government companies are also getting the facility to launch their payloads and satellites through IN-SPACe. I would urge more and more start-ups and innovators to take full advantage of these huge opportunities being created in India in the space sector," he said.

In June 2020, the Government had opened up the space sector to enable the participation of Indian private sector in the entire gamut of space activities.

To facilitate private sector participation, Government had created the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), as a single-window, independent, nodal agency which functions as an autonomous agency in Department of Space (DOS).

It is a single window agency for all space sector activities of private entities.

"Earlier in India, the space sector was confined within the purview of government systems. Ever since, the space sector has opened for India's youth, revolutionary changes have started coming in it," Modi noted further in his address.

"I also remember those old days, when India was denied the cryogenic rocket technology. But the scientists of India not only developed indigenous technology, but today with the help of it, dozens of satellites are being sent to space simultaneously," the Prime Minister said.

Referring to the feat of placing 36 satellites in space simultaneously on October 23, Modi said that with this launching, India has emerged as a strong player in the global commercial market.