India is celebrating a remarkable journey of becoming a global space power. The National Space Day marks the Chandrayaan-3’s groundbreaking soft landing near the lunar south pole in 2023, which placed India among an elite group of nations and emblazoned the lunar surface with “Shiva Shakti Point", a symbol of India’s scientific prowess. ISRO’s achievements are a testament to the visionary support from the Narendra Modi government and focus on innovation.

From nurturing startups through IN-SPACe to accelerating the Gaganyaan crewed mission, PM Modi has made space exploration a pillar of India’s global stature. In an interaction with astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, he underscored the government’s hands-on commitment to India’s space rise, as ISRO plans the next big space leap. It is planning a 40-story rocket to lift a 75-tonne payload to orbit and the module of Bharatiya Antariksh Station, with the launch set for 2028.

Prime Minister Modi’s administration has fundamentally reshaped India’s space landscape through comprehensive policy reforms that have opened the sector to unprecedented private participation and innovation. The establishment of the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) in 2020 represents a watershed moment in Indian space policy, transforming ISRO from solely an operator to an enabler of broader ecosystem growth.

Under PM Modi’s leadership, the space sector has witnessed an explosion of entrepreneurial activity, with over 300 startups now operating in the space domain, attracting approximately $526 million in funding over the past five years. The transformation stems directly from the decision to dismantle regulatory barriers that previously constrained private sector engagement. The India Space Policy 2023 explicitly encourages non-governmental entities to undertake end-to-end space activities, from manufacturing to operations, fundamentally altering the competitive landscape.

India’s space economy is projected to reach $44 billion by 2033, driven largely by this newfound private sector dynamism facilitated by the policy. PM Modi’s vision of creating five space sector unicorns within the next five years reflects his understanding that India’s space renaissance requires........

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