India to have new space policy soon

Principal Scientific Advisor Ajay Kumar Sood has said that the government will soon unveil a new space policy that could see the rise of India's own SpaceX-like ventures.

He added that consultations have taken place and the final version of the space policy would soon be referred to the Empowered Technology Group for further examination.

Sood said, “Space policy is in the works. We have not been using it much, but the new technology of low earth orbit (LEO) satellites is a low-cost game. There are a huge number of satellites in LEO. That will change the space sector.”

With the opening up of the space sector, there could be dedicated satellites for various sectors such as agriculture, education, disaster management, e-commerce applications.

He added, “We have not tapped the full potential of this sector. In 2022, the space sector is witnessing what the information technology sector experienced in the 1990s. We will have our own SpaceX in the next two years.”

“New launch vehicles are being developed, new fuels for spacecraft are being developed. This will connect the unconnected. That is the theme connecting the unconnected that will happen when we open up the space sector,” Sood said.