466 satellites since 2014; budget doubles to ₹12,544 cr: Govt

Jitendra Singh, minister of state (independent charge) science & technology, says India's space programme has seen a substantial surge in both foreign and domestic satellite launches. His remarks come as India successfully launched 466 satellites between 2014 and 2023, a substantial leap as compared to the previous decade.

The satellites launches raked in revenue worth $157 million and 260 million euros during 2014-23, up from $15 million and 32 million euros from 2003-13.

Singh says that between 2014 and 2023, India launched 396 foreign satellites and 70 domestic satellites, up from 33 foreign and 31 domestic satellites during 2003-2013. He says the revenue generated from the satellite launches during 2014-23 was $157 million and 260 million euros, up from $15 million and 32 million euros during 2003-2013.

“Budget allocated to the Department of Space has almost doubled from ₹6,792 Crores for FY 2013-14 to ₹12,544 Crores for FY 2023-24,” Singh says. With this, the annual budget allocated to the department of space has increased from ₹6,792 crore in 2013-14 to ₹12,544 crore in 2023-24.

He highlights the optimistic outlook for the space sector, citing global estimates and news outlets projecting a growth rate of 6-8% in the coming years. "This data underscores the evolving landscape of India's space endeavours and the corresponding economic impact, reflecting a positive trajectory for the nation's space industry."

In November 2023, the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), established by the Department of Space (DOS) to facilitate private sector involvement in space activities, provided the required authorisations for the launch of Eutelsat OneWeb's commercial satellite broadband services in India, as per the company's announcement. Eutelsat OneWeb, a low earth orbit operator, operates under the UK-based Eutelsat Group.

The year 2024 was a remarkable year for the Indian space sector, with the country undertaking two major space initiatives. India's much-anticipated lunar exploration endeavour, Chandrayaan-3, initiated its journey seamlessly from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, on August 14, 2023. This mission smoothly transitioned into the lunar orbit on August 5, and completed the detachment from the propulsion module on August 17, 2023. With this, India created a history after its moon mission Chandrayaan-3 landed the spacecraft on the Moon's southern pole.

In the last phase of its Moon journey, Chandrayaan-3 also established a two-way communication contact with its predecessor Chandrayaan-2 orbiter and also sent images of the Lunar’s far side area, which were captured by its Lander Hazard Detection and Avoidance Camera (LHDAC).

After the Mars and Moon missions, ISRO launched the first sun mission in September named ‘Aditya L-1’, which will study the energy sources from the Sun. ‘Aditya-L1’ Mission was the first space-based Indian observatory to study the Sun. The spacecraft based in a halo is orbitting around Lagrange point-1(L1) of the sun-earth system, which is about 1.5 million kilometres from the Earth.