India Expands Space Applications, Private-Sector Reforms and Long-Term Human Spaceflight Roadmap
SDG 9: Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure | SDG 13: Climate Action
Institutions: Department of Space | ISRO
India continues to scale the use of space technology across agriculture, disaster management and urban development, supported by expanded Earth-observation services from ISRO. In agriculture, satellite-based applications now support pre-harvest crop estimation, horticulture mapping, post-kharif intensification, drought monitoring and yield estimation under PMFBY. These services are operationalised through the Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre (MNCFC). In disaster management, ISRO provides cyclone tracking using INSAT-3DR/3DS and EOS-06, flood inundation maps, forest-fire alerts issued 6–8 times daily, landslide and earthquake damage assessments, and glacial lake mapping with GLOF risk modelling. A national drought portal on VEDAS offers fortnightly taluka- and district-level assessments. High-resolution satellite data is also being deployed for urban geospatial databases under AMRUT to support master-plan preparation.
Space-sector reforms have catalysed rapid private-sector participation. Through IN-SPACe, the government has launched funding tools such as the Seed Fund for pilot use-case development and the Technology Adoption Fund offering up to 60% support for startups/MSMEs (capped at ₹25 crore). Industry partners are being onboarded to co-develop an indigenous Earth Observation system under PPP. India now hosts a growing cohort of space startups building launch vehicles (Skyroot, Agnikul), satellites and constellations (EO, SATCOM, PNT), while Ananth Technologies is developing a private communication satellite. Capacity-building has expanded through the Space Applications Adoptions Workshop (SAAW) series and the National Space Meet 2.0, which sensitised ministries and states to satellite-enabled services for connectivity, agriculture, disaster mitigation and urban governance.
On the scientific front, the NASA–ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission was successfully launched on 30 July 2025 aboard GSLV-F16. NISAR is the first L- and S-band dual-frequency mission with full polarimetric and interferometric capability to study land and ice deformation, ecosystems and oceans. Key deployments—including the antenna reflector and first S-band payload operations—have been completed, and science operations are progressing. ISRO’s expenditure includes ₹504.78 crore for satellite development and approximately ₹340 crore for launch costs.
India has also detailed its long-term human-spaceflight roadmap. Under Space Vision 2047, the country aims to undertake its first crewed lunar mission by 2040. Recently approved projects include Chandrayaan-4 (Sample Return), Chandrayaan-5 (ISRO–JAXA LuPex), follow-on Gaganyaan missions including Bharatiya Antariksh Station module-1, and development of the Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV) and the Third Launch Pad. These investments seek to build sustained human-spaceflight capability over the coming decades.
Policy Relevance:
India’s reforms reflect a shift toward a dual-track strategy: expanding satellite-enabled governance applications across sectors, and accelerating high-end missions through public–private collaboration. The growing role of IN-SPACe signals a transition from state-dominant to market-aligned space innovation, with startups playing a key role in launch, EO, SATCOM and analytics. NISAR and human-spaceflight investments strengthen India’s scientific capability and position it as a major global actor in climate observation, lunar exploration and next-generation launch vehicles. For policymakers, the challenge lies in integrating satellite services into state-level workflows, ensuring affordability of downstream data products, and maintaining long-term mission financing.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders:
How can India accelerate state and industry adoption of satellite-enabled services while ensuring that long-term lunar and human-spaceflight investments remain financially, technologically and institutionally sustainable?
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PIB Release IDs: 2198271 | 2198276 | 2198265