Centre Moves Ahead With Bill To Power $44 Billion Space Push, Strengthen IN-SPACe And Private Sector Role

The Centre has finalised a new draft of the Space Activities Bill aimed at enabling greater private sector participation in India’s growing space economy and granting statutory powers to the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), Indian Express reported, citing a government official.

The bill had earlier been prepared in 2017 but was not introduced in the Parliament.

However, with the space sector expanding and private firms becoming more active, a legal framework has become critical.

India must also comply with international treaties, which make the government accountable for all space activities under its jurisdiction.

IN-SPACe Chairperson Pawan Goenka confirmed that the revised draft, reflecting industry feedback, will soon be shared with stakeholder ministries.

“The bill is now almost ready and will soon be circulated to the stakeholder ministries for consultations,” Goenka was quoted as saying by the Indian Express.

“It will provide legal backing to the authorisation and regulation processes in the space industry. As of now, authorisations to private players are provided on a case-to-case basis, as per the policies brought out by the agency. But INSPACe itself lacks statutory authority. The bill will grant it that,” Goenka said.

Key provisions of the bill include reduced penalties from earlier versions, protection of intellectual property rights, and support for affordable insurance for space assets—a major concern for startups due to high costs.

The bill is expected to play a key role in India’s ambition to grow its space economy to $44 billion by 2033, including $11 billion from exports. The market was valued at $8.4 billion in 2022.

The government is also encouraging states to develop space manufacturing hubs.

Three state governments, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Karnataka, had come up with their own space policies.

Goenka added that the space manufacturing hub in Tamil Nadu will focus on launch vehicles, Gujarat on satellites and other payloads, while the hub in Karnataka is likely to be more general as most of the space activities take place in Bengaluru.

Once stakeholder consultations are complete, the bill will undergo wider review before being sent to the Prime Minister, Cabinet, and Parliament for final approval.

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