Major Space Initiatives By India: Indian Space Policy 2023

What is it?

• 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.

Objective

• 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 the effective implementation of space applications among all stakeholders

Key Features

1. Creation of New Entities
   • Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
     • ISRO  has been asked to move away from routine activities and focus on research and innovation.
   • 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 the 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.
   • New Space India Ltd
     • The government’s commercial arm, New Space India Ltd, has been asked to commercialize 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 coordinate international cooperation and coordination in the area of global space governance and programmes in consultation with the Ministry of External Affairs.
     • It has also been tasked to create an appropriate mechanism to resolve disputes arising out of space activity.
2. Private Companies
   • 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.
     • Providing services like communication, remote sensing and navigation, nationally and internationally.
3. Private Players
   • 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.
4. 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.