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On 6th April 2023, the union cabinet approved the Space policy 2023. The all-important cabinet committee of space is chaired by the Prime minister of the country. It is intended to make giant strides in the space sector and India’s presence and role in space programs.   

A look at the highlights:

Demarcation of roles and responsibilities of Indian space institutions
The space policy 2023 has clearly laid down the roles and responsibilities of its premier space organizations / institutions:

a. Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)
Set up in 1969, ISRO is India’s premier / primary organisation for space exploration and all activities related to it – launching space missions, communication, research and security. It is one of the hand full organizations which does pioneering research and development in the space technology. Since inception, it has been successful in launching satellites for communication, research, observation, exploration, payload and light weight satellites.    

The Space policy 2023 has stated that ISRO will engage in research and development of new systems and technologies. The organization will further offer its facilities by the private sector for a fee to encourage boost private sector participation.

b. New Space India Limited (NSIL)
Established in 2019, the NSIL is a public sector undertaking of the Government of India. The commercial arm of ISRO, NSIL is responsible for promotion and production of launch vehicles, satellites, marketing and related activities of the Indian space program.      

As per the Space policy 2023 NSIL will undertake strategic activities of the space sector deliverable based on demand.

c. Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe)
The most recent agency to be established in 2020 under the department of space, the Space Policy 2023 states that IN-SPACe will be the interface between ISRO and the non-governmental entities – the private sector including educational institutions.

Entry and increased participation and engagement with the private sector
Though the space sector opened for the private sector in 2020, the space policy 2023 has expressly mentioned that private sector participation will be increased, and its participation included in all aspects of the space sector – from production of satellites to launches and data collection – dissemination. 

Currently, India boasts of almost 500 private sector companies / start-ups  engaged in the space sector.   

Significance of the Space Policy 2023

Despite enjoying high success rate in its space programs over the years, India’s share in the global space economy is less than 2%. The approval and execution of the Space Policy 2023 is expected to boost its presence up to 10% in the global space economy. 

There is lack of concrete laws and regulations governing the space program globally. Once can see the rapid rise in activities such as space tourism with the intention of commercialization of space. Besides, increased space activity leads to pollution of outer space due to space debris. All of this is not governed by regulatory framework. Countries such as China seem to be using space with intention of hacking and jamming satellites of other countries with intention of war and monopoly.        

The Space Policy 2023 aims to address all these stumbling blocks and put India as global leader in the space sector.