Indian Space Policy 2023 UPSC

Indian Space Policy 2023: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced the Indian Space Policy 2023 which has been approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security. The policy aims to play a pivotal role in the entry of India into the new space age. However, it requires to fulfill all the relevant legislation along with certain norms and guidelines. Till the 1990s, India's space industry and space economy was known through ISRO. There was limited involvement of the private sector in creating the ISRO designs and specifications.

The policy indicates that the ISRO will focus on research and development of new space technologies while incorporating the participation of the private sector in the space industry. It implies that the private sector can participate in end-to-end activities including building satellites, rockets, launch vehicles, data procurement, and dissemination.

Some of the important topics in the prelims exam could include Indian space policy 2023, new space India Limited, IN-SPACe, department of Space, and ISRO. On the other hand, questions in the main exam can be asked from topics like Indian space policy 2023, the significance of the private sector, and gaps in the policy.

In this article, we have shared complete details on Indian Space Policy 2023 along with the previous questions asked in the UPSC exam.

What is Indian Space Policy 2023?

The objective of Indian Space Policy 2023 is to allow, motivate and introduce a thriving commercial existence in space. It recommends the participation of the private sector in the space industry and enables them to perform end-to-end activities including building satellites, rockets, launch vehicles, data procurement, and dissemination.

Major Highlights:

The policy will introduce four different, but correlated sector, that will enable the greater participation of private entity activities that is the traditional domain of the ISRO.

• InSPACe (Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre) is a single window clearance and authority body that deals with launching space, building launch pads, purchasing and selling satellites, and spreading high-resolution data among other activities. With this, it shared products, and technology, and is best measured with NGEs and government entities.

• The primary responsibility of New Space India Limited (NSIL) is to commercialize space technologies and platforms formed through public expenses, manufacturing, leasing, or collecting space elements, technologies, and various other assets from both private and public entities.

• The Department of Space offers comprehensive policy guidelines and is the nodal department for executing space technologies. Along with this, they are responsible for coordinating international cooperation and coordination in the field of global space governance. They also form a proper mechanism to address and solve disputes of space activity.

Importance of private sector participation in space sector

• It has been observed that India is far behind in the Space Economy. The current value of the global space economy is 360 billion USD. With this, India is only 2% of the global space economy even after being one of the few spacefaring countries in the world and the space policy will be helpful in enhancing it up to 10% in the future.

• Presently, the budget of ISRO amounts to USD1.6 billion approximately, while the economy of Indian space is USD9.6 billion. With this, Broadband, OTT, and 5G have committed tremendous annual growth in the satellite-based sector.

• It is anticipated that with the validating environment, the Indian space industry could witness a growth of up to USD 60 billion by 2030. This would directly create employment of two lahks or above jobs.

• It has been witnessed that the Private Sector has transformed the space sector. Various companies like SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic played a pivotal role in transforming the space sector by minimizing the costs and turnaround duration. On the other hand In India, players in the private space industry have been restricted to be vendors or suppliers to the space policy of the government.

• The expenses of security and defense agencies are around a billion dollars annually to obtain earth observation data and imagery through foreign sources. This proves its dependence on foreign sectors which could be risky for India’s security.

• Promoting private sector activity in high-level technology areas, including space, is very important. This will be helpful in showcasing the true potential of India’s youth and business owners. To fulfill this vision, it is important to allow the entry of private entities into the Indian space sector so that they can work as independent players who have the ability to perform end-to-end space activities.

• The promotion of the private entity will allow the Indian space program to manage cost effectively within the global space industry which would lead to the creation of a plethora of employment opportunities in the space and other similar sectors.

• Private entities are often more flexible than government agencies. This allows them to respond effectively and quickly to changing market requirements and technological advancements.

What is the role of the private sector in Indian Space Policy 2023?

The NGEs which involve the private entity have the authority to perform end-to-end activities in the space industry by establishing and operating space objects, ground-based assets, and similar activities including communication, remote sensing, navigation, etc. Satellites could be self-employed, obtained, or leased. The communication services can be spread over India or abroad and remote sensing data can be distributed in India or outside.

Furthermore, NGEs can also design and handle launch vehicles for space transportation and build their own infrastructure. In broader terms, the entire range of space activities can be accessed by the private sector. The security agencies can give tasks to NGEs for finding solutions to fulfill certain requirements.

Significance of Indian Space Policy 2023

Some of the key significance of the Indian space policy 2023 are shared below:

• The policy will create space industry standards, encourage identified space activities, and operate with academia to broaden the space ecosystem and allow industry-academia linkages.
• The primary focus of ISRO is to perform research into outer space. This will result in establishing advanced space technologies and applications to create India’s edge in the field of space infrastructure, space applications, space transportation, and similar areas,
• To increase the space capabilities, allow, motivate, and introduce a thriving commercial existence in space, use space as a driver of technology evolution and get benefits in allied areas, maintain international relations, and build an ecosystem to execute space applications among all stakeholders.

What are the gaps in the Indian Space Policy 2023?

The policy has given a good role for IN-SPACe but has not provided time duration for the required steps ahead. With this, there is no time frame for ISRO’s change its present practices and also there is no proper timetable for IN-SPACe to establish its regulatory framework. Therefore, the policy framework requires clear guidelines related to various activities as the IN-SPACe is a regulatory organization but does not have any legislative authority.

IN-SPACe is also likely to permit space activities for government and non-government entities. However, its position is vague as its duties are under the authority of the Department of Space.

How to fill gaps in Indian Space Policy 2023?

The Indian Space Policy 2023 is an innovative and progressive document that indicates a great vision and objectives. However, it is not sufficient. There is a need for a time frame to offer the required legal framework that would convert the vision into reality and launch India into the Second Space Age successfully.

Thus, it is important for the government to introduce a bill that provides statutory status to IN SPACe and also specifies the time frame for ISRO and IN SPACe. The bill should solve the vagueness pertaining to Foreign Investment, and support of the government to the new space startups.

UPSC CSE Previous Year Question on Indian Space Policy

Some of the previous year's questions for the Indian space policy UPSC are as follow:

1. What is India’s plan to have its own space station and how will it benefit our space programme? (2019)
2. Discuss India’s achievements in the field of Space Science and Technology. How has the application of this technology helped India in its socio-economic development? (2016)