Indian Government Eyes Private Sector for Growth in Ground Segments

New Delhi: India's central agency for regulating and promoting the private space sector, Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), is seeking ways to encourage entry of private players in ground segments, a critical component of satellite operations.

According to a consultation document prepared by IN-SPACe, offering ground stations as a service (GSaaS) on pay-per-use basis could be a lucrative opportunity for the sector, projected to grow at 30% by 2033 and reach $2.5 billion in revenue from $0.14 billion currently.

The government has set a goal of increasing India's share in the global commercial space market from 2% to 8% by 2033, and the private sector is expected to play a key role in achieving this objective.

GSaaS offers several benefits, including reduced setup costs, cost savings, resource optimization, and enhanced service coverage. However, the nascent stage of GSaaS poses several challenges for private players, including unclear regulations, capital requirements, regulatory hurdles, and high costs associated with equipment and licensing fees.

After consulting stakeholders, IN-SPACe has identified areas that require attention to facilitate growth in the sector. These include providing clarity on regulatory processes, establishing a single window mechanism for approvals, streamlining processes and timelines, waiving licence fees for data reception, and enabling technology transfer from ISRO.

To kick-start this trend, HYD-based spacetech startup Dhurva Space was recently approved as one of the first private players to provide GSaaS in India by IN-SPACe.

With initiatives like these, IN-SPACe aims to create a conducive environment for growth and development in the Indian-private space partnership. The future prospects look promising, with growth expected across various segments including launch vehicles, ground segments, as well as human resource capabilities within this nascent sector.