PM Modi urges India to become global hub for space startups and talent

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for India to emerge as a global hub for space startups and talent, saying the country should build an ecosystem attractive enough for professionals and entrepreneurs from across the world to pursue opportunities in its rapidly expanding space industry.

During an interaction with space startup founders, Modi stressed that predictable government policies and institutional trust were essential to encourage entrepreneurs to take technological and financial risks. He said the government's approach was aimed at giving innovators confidence that they would continue to receive support even if ambitious ventures encountered setbacks.

The interaction came amid a rapid expansion of private participation in India's space economy, with domestic companies now working across launch vehicles, satellites, propulsion systems and more advanced areas such as orbital servicing.

From rockets to orbital services

Startup founders briefed the Prime Minister on projects that indicate how quickly the private space ecosystem is moving beyond conventional satellite and launch services.

One company highlighted India's first private rocket launch on July 18 and said it was working towards conducting one launch every month by the middle of next year. Three factories have already been established with the capacity to produce one rocket a month, while the longer-term ambition is to move towards weekly launches and eventually multiple launches a day.

Indian companies are also developing technologies that could become important as commercial activity in orbit expands. These include engines designed to manoeuvre satellites, spacecraft capable of approaching and removing defunct satellites and technologies for docking and refuelling spacecraft in orbit.

Such capabilities could eventually support orbital fuel stations and other infrastructure required for a more mature space economy.

The breadth of private activity has expanded considerably since India opened the sector to greater participation. The country's space startup ecosystem has grown to more than 450 ventures, while startups have attracted roughly $380-390 million in funding over the past three years.

Global talent in focus

Modi said India's ambition should extend beyond developing domestic companies. The country should create conditions capable of attracting international talent and bringing back skilled Indian professionals currently working overseas.

Startup founders told the Prime Minister that professionals based in the United States and Europe were increasingly showing interest in returning to India as opportunities in the domestic space sector grow. Indian companies are also beginning to find customers and commercial opportunities abroad.

The Prime Minister said India should develop an environment in which professionals around the world see the country as a preferred destination for building careers and businesses in space technology.

The push comes as private Indian companies begin demonstrating capabilities that until recently remained largely within the domain of government space agencies.

Skyroot Aerospace's Vikram-1 recently became India's first privately developed rocket to reach orbit, an achievement that provided a major demonstration of the country's emerging commercial launch capabilities.

Space applications widen

The private sector's ambitions are not restricted to rockets and satellites. Startups are developing satellite-based solutions for agriculture, global networks of ground stations and technologies that could enable manufacturing in orbit.

One startup is working on satellites designed to manufacture pharmaceutical products in space and subsequently return them to Earth. Other companies are exploring ways of using satellite data and space infrastructure to address problems on the ground.

Modi has also urged space technology companies to collaborate with industries outside their immediate sector. During an interaction with 20 startup founders on August 21, he encouraged companies working on space debris to explore partnerships with environmental organisations and asked agriculture-focused space firms to work with agricultural universities and government departments.

The broader objective is to turn India's growing technological capabilities into commercially viable businesses with applications across industries.

For the government, the next stage of the space reforms is increasingly about scale — enabling private companies to move from experimental technologies and individual missions towards regular commercial operations.

Modi's pitch to entrepreneurs places global ambition at the centre of that transition: India should not merely develop its own private space industry, but seek to become a destination for investment, innovation and talent from around the world.