EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

You are the first Director General of the Indian Space Association, set up as the collective voice of India’s space industry. How has the role evolved since ISpA’s inception in 2021?
When I took over as the first Director General in 2021, I set a vision for ISpA to work with all stakeholders to create an enabling environment for strengthening the private industry in the Indian Space sector. My initial task was to build ISpA as a credible, apex industry body and a single, coordinated voice for India’s emerging private space sector. In those early days, a large part of my role was to bring together legacy space companies and new-age startups, articulate their concerns, be an industry voice for consultations on the new space policy, and ensure that issues like access to ISRO facilities, spectrum allocation policy, and FDI were firmly on the policy table.

Over the past four years, my role has evolved from setting up and building relevance for the Association to help shape the trajectory of India’s New Space economy. Today, I spend far more time working with government, ISRO, IN-SPACe, and global partners to advance the rollout of reforms and PPP models, and to support ecosystem-building, so that Indian companies can move from being just vendors to competitive players not only in India but across the entire global value chains.

Coming from a four-decade career in the Indian Army, including key operational and strategic roles, how has your defence background shaped your vision for India’s space sector? Given your experience as DG, Military Operations during critical periods, how do you view the intersection of commercial space, national security, and India’s strategic autonomy?
My four decades in uniform and as part of the National security infrastructure at the Apex level have helped me understand the space sector from both strategic and salience perspectives in the overall growth of the nation. I view space as an emerging domain of warfare and, first and foremost, as a strategic enabler of national security—ISR, secure communications, navigation, and early warning are live operational requirements, not abstractions. My experience has convinced me that India cannot indefinitely defend against external constellations; we must build robust, indigenous, and resilient space capabilities, with the private sector at the heart of this effort.

Years of working in joint operational environments have also reinforced for me the importance of integration, speed, and transparent decision-making, and that is the culture I try to bring into India’s Space ecosystem. My vision is that in space defence, civil agencies and private industry operate as one integrated team—leveraging startups for agility, large companies for scale, and government for strategic direction—so that space strengthens not just our security, but also our future economic growth and technological leadership.

Having seen situations of conflict and crisis from the DGMO’s chair, I see commercial space, national security, and strategic autonomy as deeply interlinked, not competing domains. The way forward is a strong DefSpace ecosystem in which commercial players design and operate much of the capability stack. At the same time, the state sets direction, ensures resilience, and retains control over critical levers—so that India has indigenous constellations, diversified supply chains, and rapid innovation cycles, and is recognised as a trusted, rules-abiding partner in the global space economy.

What are the core objectives of ISpA today, and how do you see its role in supporting the government’s vision of making India a global space economic hub? Which two or three policy or regulatory priorities is ISpA most focused on in the near term to enable private participation across launch, satellite communications and downstream services?
Our core focus is to accelerate a competitive Indian space industry by enabling scale, private participation, and market access across launch, satellites, and downstream services. We act as a bridge between industry and government- aligning private sector priorities with national strategy, supporting policy implementation, and helping companies connect with global markets, technology partners, and capital. This directly supports India’s ambition to emerge as a global hub for the space economy.

We are focused on three priorities. First, clear and time-bound authorisation and licensing so private players can plan launches, satellite operations, and ground infrastructure with certainty. Second, predictable and market-friendly spectrum and data policies to support commercial SATCOM and downstream services. Third, a practical liability and insurance framework that balances national responsibility with commercial viability and investor confidence.

How do you assess the current policy environment for private players following recent reforms and the liberalisation of the space sector? Where do you still see gaps, especially in areas like a comprehensive space law and clarity on liability, insurance, and spectrum use?
Recent reforms, including the forward-looking Indian Space Policy 2023, Space FDI policy, and the creation of IN-SPACe, have opened significant opportunities for private players and collaboration with ISRO. That said, clarity around implementation is still evolving. A comprehensive Space Activities Act would help bring predictability around authorisation, liability, and dispute resolution. Greater certainty on spectrum uses and insurance frameworks will be the critical next steps.

What are your expectations from the government and regulators on ensuring “ease of doing business” in space – from licensing timelines to predictable, long-term policy signals? How can India attract larger pools of domestic and foreign capital into the space value chain, including launch, manufacturing, downstream applications, and space parks or hubs?
From the government and regulators, my first expectation is Speed and “true single-window” processing for space activities—clear checklists, defined timelines for licensing and authorisations, and digital workflows that minimise process hurdles across ministries. If a startup or company knows that approvals for launches, satellite operations, spectrum, or EO services will come within a predictable time frame, it can plan Capex, raise capital, and commit to customers with confidence.

Equally important are stable, long-term policy signals and a coherent fiscal regime — on FDI, export controls, GST, and customs on space-grade hardware, and targeted incentives like PLI or infrastructure status for the sector. Space is a high-risk, long-gestation business; what industry needs is a predictable regulatory and tax environment over 10–15 years so that Indian companies can invest boldly and integrate into global value chains.

Talking about the issue of Capital, the new FDI policy is a positive trigger; however, money will flow where rules are clear, and ecosystems are strong. Building state-supported space parks can create attractive manufacturing and services clusters, while strong IP protection, global partnerships, and well-structured public–private investment models will further deepen both domestic and foreign investor confidence across launch, downstream applications, and space infrastructure.

India has seen a sharp rise in space-tech startups and investor interest. From ISpA’s vantage point, what is needed to help these companies scale from prototypes and demonstrations to globally competitive businesses? How is ISpA working with ISRO, IN-SPACe, NSIL, academia and industry to build a pipeline of talent, incubation, test facilities and space parks across the country?
Startups now need support beyond prototypes. This includes blended funding- combining grants, concessional capital and venture investment along with steady government demand. Access to shared testing facilities, clean rooms and affordable launch opportunities can significantly reduce costs. Finally, export facilitation, standards alignment and global partnerships will help Indian startups integrate into international value chains.

In this context, ISpA’s role is to act as a catalyst for bringing IN-SPACe, academia and industry together through working groups to identify skill gaps, shared infrastructure needs and incubation pathways. By channeling industry inputs into national and state-level programmes, we are helping shape space parks, testing facilities and university incubators, with the clear goal of shortening time-to-market and building strong local manufacturing and talent pipelines that enable these startups to scale into globally competitive businesses. The recent declaration of space state policies by five Indian states is another positive step to incentivise the space ecosystem.

What capabilities and collaborations (public–private and international) are most urgent for India to build resilient ISR, SATCOM, navigation, and space situational awareness architectures?
The crucial essentials of space state infrastructure, be it in ISR, Satcom, PNT, or SSA, are the core aspects of one’s domestic capabilities, developed in both the private and public sectors, as well as through global cooperation. Public–private collaboration is essential for shared sensor networks and data fusion. International cooperation on data-sharing, interoperability, and SSA standards will also be critical for long-term resilience.

Where do you see India’s most substantial comparative advantages in space technologies today, and in which domains do we most urgently need technology partnerships or capability catch-up?
India’s strength lies in cost-efficient missions, small-satellite manufacturing, mission engineering, software-driven payloads, and emerging private launch capabilities. However, we need partnerships in advanced propulsion, high-throughput satellite platforms, radiation-hardened electronics and on-orbit servicing technologies to compete in higher-value segments and reduce import dependence.

What opportunities do you see for Indian companies in global supply chains – for launch services, small satellites, components, or data and analytics services?
Indian companies are well-positioned in satellite manufacturing, components, and data analytics, and we will soon emerge in launch services as well. Affordable small-launch vehicles, competitive subsystems, and high-value geospatial analytics are strong export opportunities. To scale globally, firms must meet international quality standards, build delivery track records and partner with global integrators, areas where we are actively facilitating industry connections.

Looking ahead to the next decade, what is your vision of India’s place in the global space economy in terms of share, depth of capabilities, and strategic influence?
Over the next decade, I see India firmly into the top tier of spacefaring nations—not just as a cost-effective launch provider, but as an integrated space economy with depth across launch, satellites, downstream applications, and emerging technologies like in-orbit services and space-based infrastructure.

In quantitative terms, the ambition is clear: to grow from roughly 2 percent of the global space economy today to about 8–10 percent by early 2030s, translating into a USD 40–45 billion space economy with a significant export component; but equally important is that India is recognised as a trusted, rules-abiding partner whose space capabilities strengthen global connectivity, climate resilience and security while reinforcing our own strategic autonomy.

What is your key message to Indian space entrepreneurs, established industry players, and investors who are assessing opportunities in this “new space” era?
My key message is simple: the “new space age” triggered by the government’s reforms in India is not a passing opportunity, but a structural shift—so think long-term, build for global markets, and do not underestimate India’s ability to lead, not just participate, in the new space era. For entrepreneurs, that means solving hard, infrastructure-level problems and collaborating across the value chain rather than working in silos; for established industry, it means partnering with startups and investing in IP, not just contracts; and for investors, it means backing patient, deep-tech plays where India’s combination of policy support, engineering talent and cost advantage can deliver outsized returns and durable strategic value.