PM Modi urges private space sector to build global aura of innovation

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has stressed creating an aura around the private sector in space research so that people worldwide feel that if they want to make a career, they should go to India.

In an interaction with CEOs and founders of 20 space startups on Friday, Modi also highlighted India's cost-competitiveness in launching space ventures.

He emphasised that the country's vast talent pool and high risk-taking capacity would allow India to rapidly establish a dominant position in the global space sector, according to the transcript of the interaction, which was released on Sunday.

The prime minister said the world must now be looking for Indian startups – wondering who is leading in this space.

Because whenever a breakthrough happens, people's attention shifts immediately, he said.

One of the CEOs told the prime minister that after India opened the space industry for private players, a very positive trend was observed and many Indian citizens living in the US and Europe now want to return and work in the country.

In response, Modi said: “We need to connect with many people – people who went abroad are now returning. I believe we should create an aura where people worldwide feel that if they want to make a career, they should go to India.”

He said such people from across the globe should feel that they should connect with a startup in India, connect with a space agency in India.

“I firmly believe that because of you, we can attract the entire talent pool like a magnet, and that can become a massive strength for us,” Modi said.

The prime minister appreciated the CEOs of space startups who showed courage by entering a new sector, and said the biggest factor was that they trusted the government's word.

“My view has always been that whatever decision we make, we must remain consistent and avoid making frequent changes. This ensures that anyone willing to take a risk feels confident that while a mistake on their end might cause issues, no one will abandon them. Creating that trust was our effort,” he said.

Modi also said that India is highly competitive in terms of cost and there is no question about talent.

“We are very competitive on cost; there is no question at all about talent, and our people naturally have a higher risk-taking capacity anyway. Because of these, we can establish our place very rapidly,” he said.

The CEOs said India's first space-tech unicorn, Skyroot Aerospace, successfully launched India's first private rocket into orbit, and that was just the beginning.

By mid-2027, they are aiming for one launch per month, the CEOs said.

They thanked the prime minister for opening up the space sector for private players, saying so far, factories have been built with a capacity of one rocket per month.

They said this is just the beginning and the dream is to do one launch per week, and eventually several launches per day.

When Modi asked whether the investors have the confidence, one of the CEOs said that investor confidence has increased significantly after Skyroot's first launch.

“That's great,” Modi said and asked whether that route is proving useful to the space startups. To this, one of the CEOs said, “It is very useful.”

The CEOs said their vision for the next 18 months is to establish a global ground station network.

Another CEO said that after a single launch, the company had received eight launch contracts in the last month, most of them international.

According to a statement issued by the prime minister's office on Friday, Modi assured full government support to young space entrepreneurs and urged them to explore how space technology can be used in agriculture, livestock management, dairy, environment and other areas that affect people's everyday lives.

The prime minister also hailed the CEOs for showing remarkable courage by entering a new and demanding domain of space startups as they have taken risks, trusted the reform process and remained consistent in their efforts.

He assured them of the government's full support and called for greater collaboration between space companies and other sectors to expand the use of their technologies.

The startups part of the interaction included Skyroot Aerospace, Agnikul Cosmos, Pixxel, Dhruva Space, GalaxEye, PierSight, Bellatrix Aerospace, Digantara, SatSure, Suhora Technologies, Manastu Space, Astrobase, TakeMe2Space, VyomIC, Cosmoserve Space, OrbitAID Aerospace, SkyServe (Hyspace), Serendipity Space, Vassar Labs and mistEO.

The prime minister also greeted everyone on the occasion of National Space Day on Sunday.

“Happy National Space Day,” he said.

Modi also posted a video showing different aspects of India's space research, innovations and success.

“Here's to dreaming even bigger, innovating more and pushing newer frontiers...,” he said.

National Space Day is celebrated to commemorate the Chandrayaan-3 mission that accomplished a safe and soft landing of the Vikram Lander on the lunar surface on August 23, 2023.