Bengaluru, June 25 (KNN) S Somanath, Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation ( ISRO) said that participation of startups, private sector and academia is crucial for the development and growth of the space sector. 

He was speaking at the national ‘Development of Space Startup Ecosystem in India organised by the Astronautical Society of India.

“If you really want to expand the space activities in this country to a scale of magnitude which we all desire to have, then we need to have the role of non-government entities; let it be startups and academia,” said Somanath.

He highlighted the innovative potential and enthusiasm startups have in the space sector which are in hundreds. 

“But what we need today is to encourage them, maybe in the form of knowledge from our system,” he said.

The one-day conference brought together space industry experts from government and non-government private entities (NGPE) space startups to deliberate ways to develop the NGPE vertical in India.

Lt Gen A K Bhatt, Director General, Indian Space Association expressed confidence that the New Space Policy followed by the Space Activity Bill would ensure prompt and positive action on issues such as the availability of testing facilities, both on the ground and in space, as well as clarity on data use, import incentives and technical details.

He hailed the government’s decision to open up the space domain to the private sector and said the establishment of the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe).

IN-SPACe was approved by the government in June 2020. It is the nodal agency that would allow use of the Department of Space-owned facilities by non-governmental private entities thereby ensuring greater participation by the private sector.  (KNN Bureau)