POLICY MATTERS
WHAT’S I AILING INDIAN SPACE-TECH STARTUPS
n the words of Benjamin Franklin, “diligence is the mother of good luck”, a thought that pretty much summarizes the story of Indian Spacetech startups, which have for years been silently, but substantially contributing to growth and innovation in the Indian Space ecosystem.
Courtesy: Skyroot India
Even as the global NewSpace market flourishes, Indian Space-tech startups are often seen striving for survival, sometimes by shifting base to other countries. So, what’s been keeping these small companies from making their mark in the larger ecosystem, and will the recent Space reform announcements be the breakthrough they have been hoping for? By Avneep Dhingra
According to DataLabs by Inc42, currently, there are about 120 active Space startups in India, 64% of which have emerged in the last six years. However, despite remarkable growth in the global NewSpace market, which thrives on innovative startups for technology breakthroughs and business development, small companies in India have struggled to find their feet. So, what’s been keeping these players from growing on a par with their counterparts in countries like the US, and will the recent Space reform announcements act as the gamechanger?
Lack of open policy Ever since its inception in 1969, the Indian Space Research Organisaton (ISRO) has, in a way, had a monopoly on all Space-related activities such as building rockets and satellites, and launching them into orbit. Private players, especially the smaller ones, were limited to making sub-systems and assembling spacecraft, but were not allowed to own them or manage their operations. “A clear Space law that specified what was allowed, and what wasn’t, was missing. This meant that companies couldn’t get frequency allocations, launch permissions, license to manufacture and operate Space assets,” explains Rohan M Ganapathy, CEO & CTO of Bellatrix Aerospace, a research and development company building orbital launch vehicles and electric propulsion systems for satellites.
Unavailability of funds, be it access to non-dilutive funding to start building prototypes and demonstrate proofs-of-concept, or access to July-Aug 2020 | www.gwprime.geospatialworld.net | 33
