Karnataka IT/BT minister Priyank Kharge and Secretary, Department of Space, Government of India, and Chairman, of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) S Somanath, released the Draft Space Tech Policy 2024-2029. The policy aims to capture 50 per cent of the national market share in the space sector and to transform Karnataka into a global destination for the sector, with 5 per cent of the global market share.

The draft policy outlines that along with ISRO, IN-SPACe, NSIL, and non-governmental entities, the space sector is estimated to be about $44 billion in the next decade. It will also create high-skill, deep-tech employment, and space-based applications.

Over 2,500 MSMEs who are vendors to ISRO are located across the State. The draft policy highlights that Karnataka, particularly Bengaluru, has already become the hub for NewSpace companies. The highest percentage of space tech start-ups are either headquartered or located in Bengaluru and have attracted over $150 million in funding to date.

Dr Somanath laid down the vision of ISRO for 2047 and the various missions that will lead ISRO and India towards the vision. He also stated that through the Indian Space Policy of 2023, many start-ups have accelerated their innovation journey and have demonstrated both launch vehicle and satellite manufacturing and operations capabilities.

“The Indian space ecosystem is expanding. Today, our contribution to the global space economy is less than 2 per cent, but we think it must be at least 10 per cent. This contribution should come from various segments - upstream, downstream, and midstream, which define the application domain, the spacecraft, and the launch vehicle building. We realised it is important to put the effort in the downstream area, whether talent is available in this part of the country where we can invest and create that capability. This will drive the real growth in the upstream segment as well,” he said.

Anne Neuberger, Deputy National Security Advisor of the US, said, “When we talk about private sector innovation, we have the infrastructure here on the ground to help further advance investments in Indian space startups. There are so many Indian space start-ups purpose-driven for space.”

She also emphasised the importance of space technologies and space sector in the context of India-US partnership and private sector from both the countries will synergistically drive growth and innovation in the sector.

Dr BK Das, Director General of, Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO), noted that India is transforming into a global superpower in defence technologies, which will be a $138 billion opportunity in the upcoming years. He also opined that Indian defence exports are picking up and the target for the next five years is $5 billion.

The session included the signing Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) between the Department of Electronics, Information Technology, Biotechnology and Science and Technology, Government of Karnataka DRDO on cooperation and promotion of the defence industrial ecosystem of Karnataka. During the session, the draft policy was also released.

For over four decades, the Karnataka State Remote Sensing Applications Centre (KSRSAC) has been developing applications and services leveraging satellite data integral to Government decision-making and service delivery.

The Department of Electronics, Information Technology, Biotechnology, Science and Technology, Government of Karnataka, had consultations with IN-SPACe and DRDO to understand how the Karnataka government can help the State’s space ecosystem.

Basis these consultations, it developed the draft space technology policy, summarising the global, national, and state-level overview of the sector along with industry expectations and policies of the state already benefitting the sector. An interdepartmental committee will be formed to define space-based solutions for governance.

The policy will focus on all segments (upstream and downstream) of the space value chain for commercial, defence space, and electronics and space research - astronomy and astrophysics. It aims to operationalise through missions like training and up-skilling 5,000 students and young professionals including 1,500 female students to be employable in the domestic and global space sector.

Other missions include investing in incentives, focused reach-out, and campaigns to attract $3 billion in investments into the state’s space ecosystem. It also outlines the need to set up a space manufacturing cluster in the State to enable the agglomeration of industrial units to achieve economies of scale and create testing centres/facilities through PPP mode.

The Karnataka government will directly support around 500 start-ups and MSMEs in the sector through grants, equity funding, and specific subsidies for IP registration, testing, standards, and quality certification, and marketing to enable over 50 satellites with substantial indigenisation launched by Karnataka-based space sector enterprises.

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