Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will offer encouragement, knowledge and market information to startups to ensure the growth and development of the space industry, said S. Somanath, Chairman, ISRO and Secretary, Department of Space here on Friday.
“The industry has been having a strong association with the Indian Space Programme all along. ISRO will offer support to startups in terms of encouragement, knowledge, ability to identify the market outside and provision of a conducive environment to ensure the growth of the space sector,’‘ he said while speaking at the opening session of a national conference on ‘Development of Space Start-up Ecosystem in India.’
Some 85% of ISRO’s finances were for the industries that built components for its rockets and satellites. The space agency received the bulk of its work from the private sector, he added.
‘Startups should catalyse entrepreneurship’
Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship said, startups and industries should make use of the best business environment created by the Union government and build on the existing technology base in the country instead of getting discouraged by detractors.
The minister said he was discouraged by many when he started out his entrepreneurial venture, BPL Mobile, in the mid-90s. Some even reminded him that he was not a Tata/Birla/Ambani to venture into a highly-regulated space like telecom.
“The current time is the most critical phase in the development of Atmanirbhar Bharat and startups should catalyse entrepreneurship and innovation across domains,’‘ urged the minister.
Dr. Pawan Kumar Goenka, Chairman, Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Center (IN-SPACe) recollected the efforts undertaken at the government level to expand the participation of the private sector in the space industry. He shared the priorities of the private firms in terms of financial viability and urged startups to take on the challenge.
Panel discussions
The conference will feature panel discussions on the Indian space startup experience and ecosystem creator, decadal vision and strategy for the Indian space sector (2022-2032), space economics viz. space transportation/ tourism, space material processing, space biotechnology and space-based services.
During the conference, IN-SPACe announced ‘CANSAT INDIA student competition’ where students can design and develop nanosats, for over a year.
The one-day conference, organised by the Astronautical Society of India in association with ISRO, New Space India Limited (NSIL), IN-SPACe and DRDO, is being attended by thousands of delegates from startups, national R&D organisations, industries, academia and investors.
