Adieu 2023-Lt. Gen. AK Bhat, ISpA

In a stellar display of prowess, India soared to new heights in 2023 with the successful launch of Chandrayaan-3 and the Aditya-L1, India’s first solar mission. These milestones not only secured India’s standing in the global space economy but also fueled the engines for the private space sector in India.

This year, India inked strategic alliances with the USA and France, especially USA signing the pacts on emerging technologies agreement between the two space agencies and joining the crucial Artemis Accord. Also, the declaration by the two governments for future cooperation in space has now manifested in NISAR coming to India in March this year and likely to be launched in the first quarter of next year, which is a testament to India’s commitment to global space exploration.

While all this is happening in the government sector, the private sector also witnessed major milestones in this year. Firstly, we had the launch of the second batch of 36 satellites of OneWeb by ISRO/NSIL in March 2023. Furthermore, OneWeb India recently became the first company to receive approval from Indian space regulator IN-SPACe for satellite broadband services. The company is soon to roll out space-based communication services in India. The company is soon to roll out space-based communication services in India. Marking a significant milestone for India’s burgeoning satellite communication sector, the Telecommunications Bill, 2023, recently secured legislative approval with its passage through both houses of Parliament. This landmark legislation paves the way for the administrative allocation of satellite spectrum in India.

Lt. Gen. AK Bhatt, Director General, Indian Space Association said, “The decision by the government to allocate the satellite spectrum through a globally harmonized administrative method in the Telecommunications Bill, 2023 will pose a greater good for the nation and will spur growth in the nascent space industry, especially the downstream sector, foster healthy competition, and ensure a level playing field for all stakeholders involved. The satellite broadband will hold the biggest market for space related activities and will be the bridge to narrow the digital divide in the country by reaching the remotest rural locations where terrestrial networks haven’t yet penetrated. With these positives, the correct method of allocation of satellite spectrum through administrative method would be critical for this momentum to get carried forward in the lead private commercialization domain, which is satellite communication and also allow new players to enter the market.”

CT Bureau