About Indian Space Policy 2023

What’s in today’s article?

• Why in news?
• Space Sector of India
• Indian Space Policy 2023
• What are the key features of the Indian Space Policy 2023?

 

Why in news?

• The Centre’s updated Space Policy, cleared by the Union Cabinet on April 6 but made public recently, has drawn measured optimism from the India’s budding private sector start-up space.

 

Space Sector of India

• ISRO has an exceptional success rate and is the 6th largest space agency globally.
• India has over 400 private space companies and ranks fifth globally in terms of the number of space companies.
• The satellite manufacturing capabilities are expected to reach USD 3.2 billion by 2025.
• ISRO also launched a student outreach program called SAMVAD to encourage space research among young minds.

 

Indian Space Policy 2023

• About
  • The Indian Space Policy 2023 is a comprehensive set of guidelines that outlines the roles and responsibilities of different entities in the Indian space sector.
  • The policy is expected to pave the way for much-needed clarity in space reforms and encourage private industry participation in the space economy.
  • It aims to encourage and institutionalize private sector participation in India's space sector, with the ISRO primarily focusing on research and development of advanced space technologies.
• Objectives
  • To augment space capabilities;
  • Enable, encourage and develop a flourishing commercial presence in space;
  • Use space as a driver of technology development and derived benefits in allied areas;
  • Pursue international relations, and create an ecosystem for effective implementation of space applications among all stakeholders

 

What are the key features of the Indian Space Policy 2023?

• Creates four distinct, but related entities
  • The policy creates four distinct, but related entities, that will facilitate greater private sector participation in activities that have usually been the traditional domain of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
  • These four entities are:
    • Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
    • InSPACe (Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre)
    • New Space India Limited (NSIL)
    • Department of Space
• Private companies allowed to undertake end-to-end space activity
  • Private companies, referred to as non-governmental entities in the policy, will be allowed to undertake end-to-end space activity.
  • These activities include –
    • Launching and operating satellites, developing rockets, creating ground stations, building spaceports and mobile launch platforms; and
    • Providing services like communication, remote sensing and navigation, nationally and internationally.
• Other roles envisaged for private entities
  • Private entities have also been encouraged to develop space situational awareness capabilities.
    • Space situational awareness capabilities is a mechanism to track objects in space and avoid collision of satellites and space stations with each other or space debris.
  • The policy also says that private players can engage in commercial recovery of asteroids or space resources.
  • Private participation will be limited to Indian companies.
    • The question of whether foreign direct investment via the automatic route will be permitted in space is as yet unresolved and pending government approval.
• Role of the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe)
  • As per the policy, the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) will be the single-window agency for authorisation of all space activities.
  • It will also develop space industry standards, promote identified space activities and work with academia to widen the space ecosystem and enable industry-academia linkages.
• Role of ISRO
  • ISRO, meanwhile, has been asked to move away from routine activities and focus on research and innovation.
  • This will mean developing new space technologies and applications in order to maintain India’s edge in the areas of space infrastructure, space transportation, space applications, capacity building and human spaceflight.
• Role of New Space India Ltd
  • The government’s commercial arm, New Space India Ltd, has been asked to commercialise technologies and platforms created by government entities.
  • It has also been tasked to manufacture, lease, or buy space technologies or assets, and provide space-based services to government as well as private entities.
• Role of the Department of Space
  • The Department of Space has been asked to implement the policy, interpret and clarify any ambiguities and establish a framework for safe and sustainable space operations.
  • It will be the nodal department for implementing space technologies.
  • It will also co-ordinate international cooperation and coordination in the area of global space governance and programmes in consultation with Ministry of External Affairs.
  • It has also been tasked to create an appropriate mechanism to resolve disputes arising out of space activity.
• Enables open satellite data access
  • Satellite images with a ground sample distance (GSD) greater than five metres (a satellite image where two adjacent pixels represent points five metres apart on the ground) would be freely available.
  • However, those with a GSD less than 30 cm will require INSPACe authorisation due to national security considerations.

 

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Q1) What is ISRO?

ISRO stands for Indian Space Research Organization. It is the national space agency of India and is responsible for developing and operating space technology and conducting space research. ISRO was established in 1969, and since then, it has launched several successful satellites, including remote sensing satellites for earth observation, communication satellites, and navigation satellites.

  

Q2) What is Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe)?

Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) is a newly created agency under the Department of Space, Government of India. It was established in 2020 to promote private sector participation in India's space program and to regulate and authorize space activities by private entities.

 

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Source: Indian Space Policy: ISRO to focus on R&D | ISRO | Indian Express | The Hindu