Indian Space Association (ISpA), established in December 2020, is the premier industry association of space and satellite companies. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the ISpA on October 11, 2021.
The industry association will act as an independent and “single-window” agency for enabling the opening up of the space sector to start-ups and the private sector, according to the government agenda.
The industry association is represented by leading indigenous and global corporations with advanced capabilities in space and satellite technologies that are charting the future of last-mile connectivity in India.
It will be headed by retired Lieutenant General A K Bhatt as its Director-General, while Jayant Patil, senior executive vice president, defence, L&T-NxT, will serve as the chairperson.
Composition
Its founding members include Larson & Toubro (L&T), Nelco (Tata Group), OneWeb, Bharti Airtel, Mapmyindia, Walchandnagar Industries and Ananth Technology Limited.
Other core members include Godrej, Hughes India, Azista-BST Aerospace Private Limited, BEL, Centum Electronics and Maxar India.
Aim and objective of ISpA
ISpA aspires to be the collective voice of the Indian space industry, it aims to undertake policy advocacy and engage with all stakeholders in the Indian space sector, including the government and its other agencies, NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL) and Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), among others.
ISpA seeks to make India self-reliant, technologically advanced and a leading player in the space arena.
The organisation will support space start-ups and will work towards facilitating and enabling private companies to work in coordination with IN-SPACe and Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro).
The association aims to formulate an enabling policy framework that fulfils the government's vision of leading commercial space exploration and space-based communication.
The Indian Space Association also seeks to work towards building global linkages for the Indian space sector to bring in more investments and develop critical technology to create more high-skilled employment.
ISpA will also focus on the creation of space hubs and incubators and capacity building in the country for private space start-ups.
