Prime Minister Narendra Modi established the Indian Space Association (ISpA) on Monday, an industry group seeking to be the voice of the country’s space sector, and emphasized his administration’s commitment to reforms, saying the country has never had a more determined government.
He stated that space sector reforms are based on four pillars: freedom of innovation for the private sector, the government’s role as an enabler, preparing the youth for the future, and viewing the space sector as a tool for common man development.
PM Modi went on to say that previously, the space industry was solely available to the government. “we changed that mindset and introduced innovations in the field. We brought the government and startups together because it is not the time for linear innovation but exponential innovation.”
When asked about India’s end-to-end capacity in the sector, PM Modi stated that the country is one of the few that has acquired expertise in launch vehicles, satellites, and interplanetary exploration. “We need to strengthen the brand value of efficiency and affordability and we need to become part of the end-to-end space system supply chain. As partners, the government will support the industry, young innovators, startups”.
The organization intends to participate in policy advocacy and outreach to all stakeholders in the Indian space sector, including the government and its agencies. The agency will assist India in becoming self-sufficient, technologically proficient, and a major player in the space arena.
Larson & Toubro, Nelco (Tata Group), OneWeb, Bharti Airtel, Mapmyindia, Walchandnagar Industries, and Ananth Technology Limited are among the founding members. Godrej, Hughes India, Azista-BST Aerospace Private Limited, BEL, Centum Electronics, and Maxar India are among the other key players.
