A single-window clearance system and focus on policies and schemes to develop indigenous capabilities in the space sector to reduce the over-dependence on other nations were the demands raised before the Union Minister of State for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Jitendra Singh, during an interaction with startups and industries in the space tech sector.
The interaction was part of an event organised by Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) — an autonomous nodal agency under the Centre—here on Thursday.
IN-SPACe chairman Pawan Goenka said the roundtable with about 80 CEOs and CXOs held on Wednesday gave ideas on what needs to be done to push the space sector forward.
“The recommendations that emerged from the roundtable on what the industry is looking for from the government include the concern that we still do not have a truly single window system. Also, some of the current regulations, like export clearance, result in delaying the process. Sometimes, they have a time-bound dispatch for satellites. The clearances don’t come and they miss their slot. How we make that process faster is another concern,” Goenka told the Union MoS.
Gautam Sharma, the managing director of Viasat India that has been working in the sector for the last 9-10 years, raised the similar concern to Dr Singh.
“One of the areas where we really need some help is the real single window clearance. Despite IN-SPACe giving authorisation, we still struggle…” Sharma reiterated.
Admitting that there exists a “pillar to post” clearance system, the minister assured the participants of the government’s intervention. “Please make a document on that. Even if there is bureaucratic hesitation, we will be there to intervene. There may be some bureaucratic inertia. But I agree with you. It must be a single window, and a fast single window…”
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Also, there were demands for seed money to develop basic components.
“I completely agree. The indigenous capability to develop technologies is something that nobody will dispute. We started late, but we will try to scale up as fast as possible…”
“The entire Operation Sindoor was led by the Department of Space and the Department of Atomic Energy. So, by all means, we’ll have to work in that direction. Countries like Indonesia and Vietnam are very eagerly looking forward to our missiles, and the equipment is also going to Canada, France, and European countries.”
Also, Goenka said the government must be an anchor customer for the industries. “The industry feels, and we all agree, that at least in the short to medium-term, the government has to be the anchor customer for the space industry.”
Startups selected for IN-SPACe funding
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Astrobase Space Technologies, SatSure Analytics India and TM2SPACE Technologies were the three Indian space startups selected on Thursday as the first set of Indian Non-Governmental Entities (NGEs) for funding under its Technology Adoption Fund (TAF) Scheme by IN-SPACe.
The three startups were selected for financial support to develop transformative space technologies aimed at strengthening India’s indigenous capabilities and enhancing its global competitiveness in the space sector.
Astrobase, which is a Bengaluru-based space startup, will develop a high-thrust closed-cycle liquid rocket engine (800 kN) for space launch vehicles. The project aims to develop an 800 kN-class reusable LOX-LNG rocket engine with high efficiency and modular architecture for medium-to-heavy lift launch vehicles, serving as a commercial propulsion solution for next-generation launch systems and orbital stages.
SatSure, also Bengaluru-based, will develop Dhaarini, a large earth observation model (LOM) designed to serve as India’s foundational AI platform for remote sensing applications. Trained on diverse satellite and aerial datasets, the model will generate actionable insights across agriculture, infrastructure, and disaster management, enabling data-driven decision-making at a national scale.
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Hyderabad-based TM2SPACE will develop an indigenous AI-powered star tracker system for satellites, enabling the pointing accuracy required for high-resolution imaging and communication missions. The project will develop StarSense Lite for CubeSats and StarSense Pro for satellites above 50 kg, delivering high-precision attitude determination through advanced optics, electronics, and onboard algorithms.
IN-SPACe will provide continued technical guidance, monitoring, and milestone-linked disbursement of funds to ensure the successful implementation of the selected projects.
Impetus to space tech sector in Gujarat
The Gujarat government and IN-SPACe have recently announced an agreement for the development of common technical facilities for the space tech sector at GIDC Khoraj. The common technical facilities will provide startups and MSMEs with high-quality testing and validation infrastructure, which is usually difficult to develop independently. The state government has allotted 50 acres of land for the development of a dedicated Space Manufacturing Park at GIDC Khoraj.
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