India and the second Space Age
Analysis in the national discourse situates India's growing space programme within the context of what experts are calling the "second Space Age" — an era defined by reusable rockets, commercial space services, intense geopolitical competition, and the emergence of hundreds of private space companies globally.
India's space sector has over 300 active private startups as of 2026, up from single digits a decade ago — a transformation driven by the Indian Space Policy 2023 and the establishment of IN-SPACe.
Key milestones defining India's role in this era include: Chandrayaan-3's successful lunar south pole landing (2023), the Gaganyaan uncrewed mission (scheduled H2 2026), and the first private orbital launches by Skyroot Aerospace (Vikram-1) and Agnikul Cosmos (Agnibaan).
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is transitioning from a monolithic government operator to an enabler and regulator, with the commercial space sector taking on satellite launches, earth observation data services, and eventually crewed missions.
The analysis raises questions about India's strategic positioning — between the US-led Artemis framework and emerging multipolarity in space governance.
The first crewed Gaganyaan mission has been pushed to Q1 2027; the H2 2026 Gaganyaan-1 mission will carry Vyommitra, a half-humanoid robot, to test life-support systems.
The government approved a ₹1,000-crore venture capital fund for space startups via IN-SPACe (October 2024), followed by a ₹500-crore Technology Adoption Fund (February 2026).
A PSLV built entirely by HAL and Larsen & Toubro (the first industry-manufactured PSLV) is scheduled to launch in 2026 — a milestone in commercial rocket production.
India's Space Programme — From ISRO Monopoly to Open Ecosystem
ISRO was established in 1969 under the leadership of Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, with a mandate to develop space technology for national development. For five decades, it operated as India's sole space agency — developing satellites, launch vehicles, and conducting planetary missions with a famously frugal model.
Key Details
- Key ISRO milestones: SLV-3 (1980, India's first satellite launch); PSLV (1993, workhorse rocket); Chandrayaan-1 (2008, discovered water on Moon); Mangalyaan (2014, Mars Orbiter Mission — cheapest Mars mission ever at ~₹450 crore); Chandrayaan-3 (2023, first successful south pole landing)
- Space Sector Reforms 2020: Opened the space sector to private Non-Governmental Entities (NGEs) for the first time — allowing private companies to build rockets, satellites, and provide services
- Indian Space Policy 2023: Defined roles — ISRO focuses on R&D and strategic missions; IN-SPACe regulates and promotes private sector; NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) handles commercial operations
- IN-SPACe (Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre): Established 2020; central authority for licensing, authorising, and promoting private space activities
- SpaceCom Policy and SpaceRS Policy: Sector-specific policies for satellite communications and remote sensing — providing regulatory clarity for private investment
The second Space Age narrative hinges on this structural transformation — India is no longer just an ISRO story; it is increasingly a 300-startup ecosystem story, with implications for employment, exports, and strategic capability.
Gaganyaan — India's Human Spaceflight Programme
Gaganyaan is India's flagship crewed spaceflight mission — when successful, it will make India the fourth country (after the US, Russia, and China) to independently launch humans into space.
Key Details
- Mission objective: Demonstrate India's capability for human spaceflight to low Earth orbit (LEO) — approximately 400 km altitude
- Crew vehicle: Crew Module (CM) + Service Module (SM) — three astronauts capacity; uses Crew Escape System for abort safety
- Launch vehicle: LVM3 (Launch Vehicle Mark 3, formerly GSLV Mk III) — India's most powerful operational rocket
- Astronauts selected: Four Indian Air Force test pilots designated as Gagannauts — Group Captain Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, Group Captain Ajit Krishnan, Group Captain Angad Pratap, and Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla
- Vyommitra: A female-presenting half-humanoid robot developed by ISRO to simulate astronaut functions in uncrewed test flights — monitors cabin environment, operates switches, mimics crew actions
- Timeline: Gaganyaan-1 (uncrewed with Vyommitra) — H2 2026; First crewed mission — Q1 2027
- Budget: ~₹9,023 crore (approximately $1.1 billion)
- Post-Gaganyaan: ISRO plans a Bharatiya Antariksha Station (Indian Space Station) by 2035 and a crewed lunar mission by 2040
Gaganyaan places India squarely in the second Space Age — as a sovereign human spaceflight nation. This capability unlocks ISRO's potential participation in international space station programmes and gives India a seat at the table in shaping crewed spaceflight norms.
Geopolitical Dimensions of the Second Space Age
The second Space Age is not merely a technological story — it is deeply geopolitical. Space is increasingly treated as a domain of strategic competition, with the US-led and China-Russia-led blocs building parallel frameworks for lunar presence, satellite communications, and space resource governance.
Key Details
- Artemis Accords (US-led): Multilateral framework for lunar exploration — India signed June 2023; governs transparency, interoperability, peaceful uses, and deconfliction zones near lunar resources
- China-Russia counterpart: The International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) framework — offers an alternative to the US-led order
- Space as a domain of warfare: Anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons, electronic jamming, and space-based intelligence capabilities are now core military tools; India demonstrated ASAT capability in Mission Shakti (March 2019)
- Satellite internet: Starlink (SpaceX), OneWeb, and Amazon Kuiper are building mega-constellations that reshape communications and intelligence infrastructure — India's StarLink licensing debate reflects this tension
- Space resource extraction: The US Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act (2015) permits US companies to own resources extracted in space; similar legislation is emerging elsewhere — raises questions about the Outer Space Treaty's "global commons" principle
- NISAR (NASA-ISRO SAR): A joint Earth observation radar satellite (launch planned 2025–26) — the most advanced SAR satellite ever built; reflects deepening India-US space cooperation
India's space strategy in the second Space Age requires simultaneously building sovereign capability (Gaganyaan, Chandrayaan-4), commercialising the sector (IN-SPACe, 300+ startups), and navigating geopolitical alignment (Artemis Accords vs. ILRS neutrality).
- ISRO established: 1969 (Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, first chairman)
- Chandrayaan-3: Soft-landed near lunar south pole, August 23, 2023 — India became 4th country to soft-land on Moon
- Gaganyaan budget: ~₹9,023 crore (~$1.1 billion)
- Gaganyaan-1 (uncrewed): Scheduled H2 2026 with Vyommitra robot
- First crewed Gaganyaan: Q1 2027
- Private space startups in India (2026): 300+
- IN-SPACe VC fund: ₹1,000 crore (approved Oct 2024)
- Technology Adoption Fund: ₹500 crore (Feb 2026)
- Key private rockets: Vikram-1 (Skyroot Aerospace), Agnibaan (Agnikul Cosmos, 3D-printed engine)
- Mission Shakti (ASAT test): March 27, 2019 — India demonstrated ASAT capability
- Artemis Accords: India signed June 2023
- Indian Space Station target: 2035
- Crewed lunar mission target: 2040
- NISAR: NASA-ISRO joint Earth observation radar satellite (planned launch 2025–26)
- LVM3 (GSLV Mk III): Launch vehicle for Gaganyaan; payload capacity: ~10 tonnes to LEO