India’s space sector has seen a sharp boost since private participation was opened in June 2020, with the number of space start-ups rising from one in 2014 to more than 400 today and cumulative private investment crossing USD 600 million, the government told Parliament on Thursday.
In a reply in the Rajya Sabha, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said private investment worth USD 187 million has already been reported in 2026, while 105 authorisations have been issued to non-government entities as of 7 July.
He said the investor base has widened significantly, with sovereign wealth funds, global asset managers and strategic corporates now backing India’s space ecosystem. The minister also said the sector has moved beyond policy ambition and now has real launch and orbital capability.
According to the statement, two private companies have carried out sub-orbital launches, more than 30 satellites have been placed in orbit by non-government entities, and about 45 payloads are currently in space through platforms such as POEM.
Singh said the growing ecosystem has helped Skyroot Aerospace become the sector’s first unicorn, with backing from GIC and BlackRock, while Digantara raised USD 50 million with support from Japan’s SBI Investment and Pixxel attracted Alphabet’s backing.
He added that India’s private space industry is now entering a more mature phase as commercial investment, technology development and global partnerships continue to expand. |
