NEW DELHI: FROM aiming to re-fuel satellites in orbit to monitoring the Earth’s health, Indian start-ups in the space sector are exploring niche markets with the hope of striking it big as opportunities for global commercial collaborations open up. India becoming a signatory to the Artemis Accords and the focus on the space sector, particularly on addressing issues related to export control and technology transfer, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to the US will open up doors for private players, industry leaders believe. Since India opened up its space sector in 2020, more than 150 start-ups have come up in areas such as building rockets and satellites, setting up astronaut training facilities and exploring possibilities for space tourism.

“It is a good start, because it was unheard of for the US to supply any space or defence-related technology 10-15 years ago. It was a taboo. Now, we are talking of working together in sunrise sectors,” Manastu Space co-founder Tushar Jadhav said. Mumbai-based Manastu is developing green propulsion systems for satellites and hopes to validate its technology during a test flight in the coming year. It is also designing a fuel station in space to provide in-orbit refuelling service for satellites which otherwise have to be abandoned after the on-board fuel is exhausted. Director General, Indian Space Association, Lt General A K Bhatt (Retd), said, “Many technologies in the space sector are dual use technologies, but this is an indication that now there will be easing of processes for this.”

In November last year, Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace wrote its name in spacefaring history with the successful launch of its Vikram-S rocket, the first privately built space rocket in India, within four years of its founding.

The company, founded by former scientists and engineers from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), is now developing three variants of the Vikram series of rockets to put small satellites in orbit. “The kind of work that is being done by the private sector is not replicating what ISRO has done. The launch vehicles developed by Skyroot and Agnikul have their own uniqueness. The satellite applications are very niche and cutting edge in terms of technology,” Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACE) chairman Pawan Goenka told PTI.