In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh said, the following steps have been taken by the Government to encourage the startups to boost India’s space programme:
- Indian Space Policy 2023 has been released by Government of India, where roles and responsibilities of all the stakeholders contributing to the overall Indian space ecosystems defined.
- Various schemes to encourage and hand hold private sector also announced and implemented by IN-SPACe, i.e., Seed Fund Scheme, Pricing Support Policy, Mentorship support, Design Lab for NGEs, Skill Development in Space Sector, ISRO facility utilization support, Technology Transfer to NGEs and Frequent meet/roundtable with the national and international industries for potential business opportunities.
- IN-SPACe has signed around 51 MoUs with Non-Government Entities (NGEs) to provide necessary support for realization of space systems and applications envisaged by such NGEs, which is expected to increase the industry participation in manufacturing of launch vehicles and satellites.
- Total number of registered start-ups on Digital Platform are approximately 189.
As of now, ISRO has no plans for Deep Space Probes. However, conceptualization studies are underway for advanced space exploration missions, such as continuation of human spaceflight program, further follow-up missions to moon and the Bhartiya Antariksh Station.
The "Make in India" initiative in space technology is a strategic approach to boost domestic manufacturing, innovation, and self-reliance in the space sector. The self-reliance in the space technology caters both upstream and downstream sector.
Indian space program, with substantial contribution from domestic industries, has touched several new highs over the past 5 years, showcasing indigenous capabilities across all segments of space activities. Key achievements include commercial launches of LVM3 & PSLV, development of SSLV, earth observation satellites, navigation satellite, soft landing & roving on the Moon, mission to study the Sun (Aditya-L1) and major strides towards demonstration of human space flight.
Following are some of the major highlights of Make in India initiative and outcome:
- Domestic Manufacturing of Space hardware: Critical technologies and industrial ecosystems are being developed at ISRO as well as through IN-SPACe respectively.
- Space system and satellite manufacturing facilities are being established by Indian NGEs.
- Launch Vehicles systems realization facilities are being set up by NGEs.
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