India must triple its satellites, build space station by 2035: Isro chief

Isro targets 52 new satellites and 12 launches in 2025, with space station module set for 2028; India's space economy poised to hit $44 bn by 2033

India needs to nearly triple its satellite fleet in orbit over the next three years, Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) Chairman V Narayanan said on Friday while delivering the GP Birla Memorial Lecture on Indian Space Programme – Accomplishments, Challenges and Future Perspectives.

 

During his address, as reported by PTI, Narayanan said the current count of 55 satellites would need to rise sharply to meet national needs. "The requirement is huge. The demand is so much that we have to build satellites. We are working towards that," he said.

 

Narayanan laid out an ambitious vision for India’s space future, projecting that the country would be on par with global space powers by 2040 in terms of technology, application capabilities, and infrastructure.

 

A key milestone on this trajectory is the construction of India’s first independent space station, with the first module planned for launch in 2028 and the full structure expected to be in orbit by 2035.

 

12 launch missions in 2025

Isro has lined up 12 launch vehicle missions for 2025, with the most immediate being the highly anticipated launch of the Nasa-Isro Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite. The $1.5-billion Earth observation satellite is scheduled to lift off aboard the GSLV F16 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on July 30.

 

NISAR, which will be the world’s first dual-frequency radar imaging satellite, will monitor Earth’s land and ice surfaces with centimetre-level precision, regardless of weather or daylight. With a 12-meter radar antenna and weighing nearly three tonnes, the satellite is expected to transform global understanding of environmental changes, agriculture, and disaster response.

 

Building India's space economy

India's space sector is undergoing a major transformation, both in terms of scale and orientation. From being a primarily service-oriented organisation, Isro is now looking to leverage its research through commercial opportunities, following a favourable policy shift.

 

According to a Ficci-EY report, as earlier reported by Business Standard, India’s space economy is projected to grow more than fivefold to $44 billion by 2033 from $8.4 billion in 2022. Communication systems, Earth observation, satellite manufacturing, and navigation services are expected to drive this growth.

 

Moreover, $11 billion in space technology exports are expected by 2033, while $22 billion in investment will be required over the next decade to meet industry goals.

 

Communication services are projected to grow to $14.8 billion by 2033 from $4.19 billion in 2022, while Earth observation is expected to jump from $520 million to $8 billion in the same period.

 

Space private sector, startups get a boost

The private sector is also being brought into the fold in a big way. With over 300 space-tech startups now part of the ecosystem, the government has committed ₹3,500-₹4,000 crore to boost satellite development, alongside a ₹1,000 crore VC corpus to catalyse private investment.

 

A total of 52 satellites are planned to be put into orbit over the next five years, as India eyes an 8 per cent share of the global space economy. In all, ₹25,000 crore is expected to flow to the private sector for satellite manufacturing.