Private investment in India's space sector has crossed USD 618.5 million, Minister of State for Atomic Energy and Space Jitendra Singh told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply to an Unstarred Question. He said 105 authorisations had been granted to Non-Government Entities (NGEs) as on July 14, 2026. Of the total, USD 187 million has been reported during 2026, and 17 space startups have so far been authorised by IN-SPACe to undertake space activities.
Cumulative private funding rose from USD 100.5 million in 2021-22 to USD 348.5 million in 2023-24, and reached USD 618.5 million by March 31, 2026.
IN-SPACe's impact assessment of the 2020 space sector reforms found that active space startups rose from one in 2014 to over 400. Indian private companies have placed more than 30 satellites in orbit and flown nearly 45 payloads, including through the PSLV Orbital Experimental Module (POEM). The Earth Observation Public-Private Partnership (EO-PPP) is developing the country's first privately owned Earth observation satellite constellation, with a private investment commitment of around ₹1,200 crore.
The government listed the India Space Policy 2023, a liberalised Foreign Direct Investment policy, streamlined authorisation through IN-SPACe and concessional access to ISRO facilities among the measures behind this. Financial support includes a ₹1,000 crore Venture Capital Fund, a ₹500 crore Technology Adoption Fund and the IN-SPACe Seed Fund Scheme. IN-SPACe has also promoted support for startups and MSMEs, technology commercialisation and space manufacturing clusters to strengthen the domestic supply chain.
On safeguards, the minister said every application is evaluated under IN-SPACe's Norms, Guidelines and Procedures (NGP), with due consideration to strategic, security and national interests, before authorisation. IN-SPACe is also preparing dedicated Safety and Security Guidelines in consultation with stakeholders.
From July 2023 to June 2026, India successfully launched 12 launch vehicle missions, 11 national satellites and 9 satellites for international customers. The Department of Space has operationalised four launch vehicles: PSLV, GSLV, GSLV MkIII and SSLV.
The government has approved a Third Launch Pad at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh for ISRO's Next Generation Launch vehicles, which will also serve as standby for the Second Launch Pad. An SSLV Launch Complex is being developed at Kulasekarapattinam in Tamil Nadu as India's second rocket launch site, for SSLV launches and for private startups and NGEs. Together with the existing First and Second Launch Pads at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, these provide sufficient launch capacity, the reply said.
NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) earned audited launch services revenue of ₹44,743.13 lakh in 2024-25, ₹21,821.10 lakh in 2023-24 and ₹1,16,613.16 lakh in 2022-23. IN-SPACe has developed a roadmap targeting a USD 44 billion Indian space economy by 2033, covering infrastructure, private participation, innovation, manufacturing and a globally competitive ecosystem.
Aditya-L1 is meant to study solar wind particles, the solar corona, near-UV signatures on the solar disc and solar magnetic fields, the Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF). Its position around the Sun-Earth L1 point gives a continuous view of the Sun, making it a dedicated solar physics observatory, the minister said.
He said it is a solar physics mission and not a space weather mission. Its data, however, help in understanding the Sun's behaviour across phases of the solar cycle, which he described as a significant step towards India's space weather prediction capability. Its results have been published in peer-reviewed journals, as have those of Chandrayaan-3.
With reference to the private participation in India's space sector, consider the following statements:
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Consider the following pairs:
Facility / Programme : Description
How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
Consider the following statements:
Statement-I: Aditya-L1 is described by the Minister as a dedicated solar physics observatory rather than a space weather mission.
Statement-II: Its position around the Sun-Earth L1 point gives it a continuous view of the Sun.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
