India’s space sector is moving in a historic direction. Skyroot Aerospace, a privately run company, is preparing to launch the country’s first privately built orbital-class rocket, Vikram-1, before August. After successfully launching spacecraft to the Moon, Mars and Sun, the rocket will be launched from Sriharikota between July 12 and August 4.
Since the aerospace sector opened up to private investment in 2020, more than 400 startups have entered the sector. Currently valued at $8.4 billion, the Indian aerospace economy is expected to grow to $44 billion by 2033 and $100 billion by 2040. In this regard, the Department of Space, Government of India said that India is pursuing ambitious goals in deep space exploration, space science, human space flight and orbital infrastructure, reflecting its growing confidence and technological maturity in the global space ecosystem.
Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is the first Asian country to successfully launch a spacecraft into Mars orbit. The country will become the fourth country after the US, Russia and China to land a rover on the South Pole ISRO plans to collect samples from the moon with its fourth lunar mission in 2027 and will currently send a mission to Venus in addition to studying Miss and Miss Lair. The Sun Meanwhile, Science Minister Jitendra Singh said a submarine project called Matsya is also underway to go six kilometers deep into the ocean by 2027 to extract rare minerals.
India has also managed to dominate the commercial market for satellite launches. Since its first satellite launch in 1975, ISRO has launched more than 430 foreign satellites and earned more than $600 million and put into orbit more than 144 domestic satellites. A second spaceport has been built at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh and Kulasekarapattinam in Tamil Nadu to cater to commercial needs. In addition to Skyroute on commercial missions, Pixel is developing satellites for agricultural and environmental monitoring. Similarly, Bellatrix Aerospace develops satellite navigation systems and Agnikul Cosmos develops small satellite launch vehicles powered by 3-D printed rocket engines.
Apart from private space research, it has also deepened its ties with the defense sector. India has invested heavily in defense following the conflict with neighboring Pakistan. There is active coordination between ISRO and the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), and ISRO also has deep ties with the Indo-Russian joint BrahMos missile project.
As for future plans, ISRO is preparing to complete an unmanned test flight under the Gaganyaan project by the end of 2026, with the ultimate goal of sending three astronauts into orbit at an altitude of 400 km for three days. In preparation for this, in 2025, Indian Air Force pilot Subhanshu Shukla created history by becoming the first Indian to travel to the International Space Station aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.