India calls for Brics shared space economy

India's Space Ministry, under India's BRICS Chairship for 2026, proposed the creation of a "BRICS Space Economy" framework at a two-day Heads of Space Agenci...

What Happened

India's Space Ministry, under India's BRICS Chairship for 2026, proposed the creation of a "BRICS Space Economy" framework at a two-day Heads of Space Agencies and Senior Officials meeting hosted by ISRO.
The meeting was attended by representatives of ten countries: Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates, alongside the host India.
Key agenda items included strengthening the BRICS Remote Sensing Satellite Constellation (RSSC), advancing discussions on a proposed BRICS Space Council, expanding new BRICS member participation in existing mechanisms, and promoting space sustainability and debris-free missions.
ISRO's Chairman addressed the meeting, stating that India's growing space ecosystem — including recent milestones in lunar, solar, and reusable launch vehicle missions — positions India to drive global collaboration in space.
The initiative envisions leveraging collectively owned satellite data for disaster management, climate change monitoring, agriculture, and other socio-economic applications across BRICS member nations.

Static Topic Bridges

BRICS: Evolution and Current Membership

BRICS is a multilateral grouping of major emerging market economies. The acronym originally referred to Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. The grouping was formalised at the first formal summit in Yekaterinburg, Russia, in 2009 (with South Africa joining in 2010).

In 2024, BRICS expanded ("BRICS+"), with Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, and the UAE joining as full members (Saudi Arabia was also invited but has not formally joined as of 2026).
India held the BRICS Chairship in 2021 (virtual) and again holds it in 2026.
BRICS nations collectively account for approximately 40% of the world's population and around 32% of global GDP (at purchasing power parity).
BRICS has a New Development Bank (NDB), headquartered in Shanghai, which finances infrastructure and sustainable development projects.
The BRICS grouping does not have a permanent secretariat; the rotating chair hosts the summit and associated ministerial meetings.

Connection to this news: Under India's BRICS Chairship 2026, space cooperation has been elevated as a flagship domain, with the "BRICS Space Economy" proposal seeking to translate BRICS' collective geopolitical weight into tangible shared infrastructure and data-sharing frameworks.

BRICS Remote Sensing Satellite Constellation (RSSC)

The BRICS Remote Sensing Satellite Constellation is an existing cooperative mechanism under which BRICS nations pool their Earth observation satellite data for shared civilian use. It was agreed upon at the 2015 Ufa Summit and operationalised progressively.

The RSSC enables member nations to access each other's remote sensing data without launching additional satellites — effectively multiplying the observation capacity available to each member.
Data applications include agricultural monitoring, urban planning, natural disaster assessment, climate change tracking, and infrastructure mapping.
The constellation draws on satellites from multiple national space agencies including ISRO (India), Roscosmos (Russia), CNSA (China), INPE (Brazil), and SANSA (South Africa).
Under the expanded BRICS+, the challenge is integrating the Earth observation assets of new members (Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, UAE, Indonesia) and building their capacity to access and utilise RSSC data.

Connection to this news: The meeting specifically deliberated on "expanding participation of new BRICS members in existing cooperation mechanisms," with the RSSC at the centre — reflecting the organisational challenge of scaling an originally five-nation instrument to a ten-nation grouping with highly varied space capabilities.

India's Space Programme: ISRO and the New Space Policy

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) was established in 1969 and is under the Department of Space, which reports directly to the Prime Minister. India's National Space Policy 2023 (approved in April 2023) restructured the ecosystem by distinguishing ISRO's role as a research and development organisation from commercial and operational roles assigned to IN-SPACe and NSIL.

IN-SPACe (Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre): the regulatory and promotional body for private sector participation in Indian space activities.
NSIL (NewSpace India Limited): the commercial arm for launching and marketing Indian space products and services.
India's recent space milestones include Chandrayaan-3 (soft lunar south pole landing, August 2023), Aditya-L1 (solar observatory at L1 Lagrange point, January 2024), and ongoing Gaganyaan (crewed spaceflight programme) development.
The Indian space economy was estimated at approximately USD 8 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach USD 44 billion by 2033 under the new policy framework.

Connection to this news: ISRO's central role in hosting the BRICS space agencies meeting — and the Union Minister's pitch for a "BRICS Space Economy" — reflects India's ambition to leverage its domestic space capabilities and BRICS Chairship to position itself as the institutional anchor of multilateral space cooperation among Global South nations.

Space Economy: Concept and Dimensions

The "space economy" refers to the full range of activities and the use of resources that create value and benefits to human beings in the course of exploring, understanding, managing, and utilising space. The OECD defines it as encompassing R&D, manufacturing, launch, operations, and downstream applications.

The global space economy was valued at approximately USD 630 billion in 2023 and is projected to exceed USD 1.8 trillion by 2035 (various estimates).
Downstream applications (satellite communications, navigation, Earth observation data services) account for the largest share of the space economy.
Space sustainability — including debris mitigation under the UN's "Long-Term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities" (LTS) guidelines adopted by COPUOS in 2019 — is increasingly a major international governance concern.
COPUOS (Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space) is the UN body governing space activities, established in 1959.

Connection to this news: India's "BRICS Space Economy" proposal is not merely about satellite data sharing but encompasses investment, innovation, entrepreneurship, and sustainable development — aiming to create a collectively governed space economy framework among major emerging economies that could collectively contest the dominance of advanced Western and Chinese space actors.

Proposed BRICS Space Council

The BRICS Space Council is a proposed permanent institutional mechanism to coordinate BRICS space cooperation across all domains — technology, data sharing, policy, and investment.
As of June 2026, it is still under discussion; its establishment would mark a significant step towards institutionalising BRICS space governance beyond ad hoc summitry.

Connection to this news: The two-day meeting specifically advanced "discussions on the proposed BRICS Space Council," suggesting India's Chairship is attempting to move the Council from proposal to decision during 2026.

Key Facts & Data

BRICS founding members: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa (formal summits from 2009; South Africa joined 2010).
BRICS+ new members (2024): Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, UAE, Indonesia (Saudi Arabia invited but status uncertain).
Countries at June 2026 BRICS space meeting: 10 — Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, South Africa, UAE, plus host India.
India's BRICS Chairship year: 2026.
BRICS Remote Sensing Satellite Constellation: Agreed at 2015 Ufa Summit; pools Earth observation satellite data.
ISRO established: 1969; under Department of Space (directly under PM).
National Space Policy 2023: Released April 2023; created IN-SPACe and empowered NSIL.
India's space economy (2023): ~USD 8 billion; projected ~USD 44 billion by 2033.
Global space economy (2023): ~USD 630 billion; projected >USD 1.8 trillion by 2035.
COPUOS: UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space; established 1959.
LTS Guidelines: Long-Term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities, adopted by COPUOS 2019.
NDB (New Development Bank): BRICS development bank; headquartered in Shanghai.