On August 23, India marked its third National Space Day, three years since the Chandrayaan-3 mission’s lunar lander ‘Vikram’ touched down in the moon’s south pole region. Between then and Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace launching India’s first privately built rocket to orbit
A new study reveals that satellite launch costs in India are the highest among key markets. Government sources challenge this perception, highlighting the advantages of subsidies and strategic savings. To support the growth of private sector space ventures
Ask a sixteen-year-old about a social media ban, and you get an answer sharper than most adults arguing about bans. She says, “It doesn’t prepare us for the real world when we will have to deal with these distractions in our life”. The teenager’s response strikes at the core of the ban vs
How I got hooked on chasing solar eclipsesTraveling the globe for celestial events may seem downright loony—until you get a taste of the addictive world of ‘eclipse chasing’ Published on: Aug 23, 2026, 18:30:10 IST WSJ Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link ‘It was glorious
Made-in-India semiconductor chips are now powering key Indian space missions. These domestically manufactured components support lunar and solar exploration efforts. Specialized chips from Mohali's Semiconductor Laboratory are used in Chandrayaan-3 and Aditya-L1
PM Modi urges space startups to explore applications in agriculture
Prime Minister Narendra Modi encouraged young space entrepreneurs to innovate for agriculture and daily life. He highlighted the potential of India's private space sector for global impact. Startups were urged to engage with schools and inspire future generations. Modi acknowledged the risks taken by entrepreneurs and the government's reform process. The government will continue supporting startups to build national space capabilities.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday urged India’s space startups and entrepreneurs to explore how space technology can contribute to agriculture, livestock management, dairy, environment and other areas that directly impact everyday lives. He suggested that companies working on space debris could partner with environmental organisations to scale up their solutions, while space technology firms working in agriculture could collaborate with agricultural universities and government departments to help farmers make better-informed decisions and improve output.
Sharing glimpses of his meeting with CEOs and founders of 20 space startups at Seva Teerth, he said the country’s private space ecosystem could become a major force for India and the world.
"It was wonderful to meet the Yuva Urja of India’s space sector…young entrepreneurs and innovators who have shown remarkable courage by entering a new and demanding domain. They have taken risks, trusted the reform process and remained consistent in their efforts. Due to this, India has achieved a lot in the space sector in the last few years," he said in a post on X.
Also read: The heartbeat of India lives in Tier-2, Tier-3, rural areas, says Google India MD Preeti Lobana
He also encouraged startups to engage with Atal Tinkering Labs, spark curiosity among school children and inspire the next generation to participate in the space sector.
He assured space startups that Indian government will continue to stand with them as they build India’s capabilities for the future. The country can offer the world a strong, innovative and commercially viable model in the space sector, he said.
The prime minister also called for greater collaboration between space startups and companies in other sectors to expand the applications of space technologies.
He said India should build an ecosystem where the world looks towards the country when it thinks of space, further adding that the domestic space sector could become a magnet for global talent, companies and investment.
The interaction brought together CEOs and founders of 20 space startups working across areas including rocket and reusable semi-cryogenic launch vehicles, satellites, avionics, advanced propulsion, space and defence intelligence, space-debris removal and AI-powered weather and climate intelligence.
The startup leaders highlighted the rapid progress of India's private space industry and said they had invested significant time and effort in developing capabilities and technologies indigenously. They also credited government support and collaboration within the industry for helping build highly motivated teams and advance ambitious plans.
The entrepreneurs said the opening up of the space sector to private participation had generated significant enthusiasm and created new opportunities for industry. They also noted that several companies had expressed interest in adopting technologies developed by India's emerging private space industry.
Also read: Strikes in the Gulf changing rules behind India’s big-money bets
PM Modi congratulated the founders for taking the lead in a new and demanding sector, saying their confidence had strengthened the government's vision behind opening the space sector to private participation. He noted that many countries either lack the ability or do not wish to invest in the space sector, creating a major opportunity for India to strengthen its position in the global space industry.
The interaction saw participation from 20 space startups working in space sector including Skyroot Aerospace, Agnikul Cosmos, Pixxel, Dhruva Space, GalaxEye, PierSight, Bellatrix Aerospace, Digantara, SatSure, Suhora Technologies, Manastu Space, Astrobase, TakeMe2Space, VyomIC, Cosmoserve Space, OrbitAID Aerospace, SkyServe (Hyspace), Serendipity Space, Vassar Labs and mistEO.
Add as a Reliable and Trusted News Source Add Now!
Source: EconomicTimes
Related Posts: PM Modi,space startups,agriculture technology,India space sector,Atal Tinkering Labs,Yuva Urja,Skyroot Aerospace,space sector
India's space program began with a small rocket range in 1962. It progressed to launching its first satellite and developing indigenous launch vehicles. Chandrayaan-3's lunar landing marked a significant achievement for the nation. The program now includes private sector involvement and ambitious
2 days ago
India plans to establish its own space station by the year 2035. The first module for the Bharatiya Antariksha Station has already received approval. This ambitious project aligns with the nation's growing space capabilities and aspirations. National Space Day celebrates India's achievements and
2 days ago
India observed its third National Space Day, commemorating the Chandrayaan-3 lunar landing. ISRO Chairman Dr. V. Narayanan recalled the agency's humble beginnings and current global standing. He highlighted Chandrayaan-3's soft landing near the Moon's south pole in August 2023
2 days ago
The Indian government created the Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs) to offer students an intellectually vibrant research environment and to bring them into research at a relatively — vis-à-vis the Indian milieu — early stage
2 days ago
Prime Minister Narendra Modi aims to lure global expertise to India's expanding space landscape. He identifies the private sector's potential as a crucial asset for global competition. Key advantages include India’s affordability and its appetite for innovation
2 days ago
The Northeast India Space Workshop 2026 will convene in Guwahati to explore regional transformation. This event aims to leverage space technology for global reach and economic growth. Stakeholders will discuss Northeast India becoming a developer and testbed for space solutions
2 days ago
The dramatic 1° Celsius rise in global temperatures since industrialisation has already proved to have upended the lives of wild flora and fauna: that of at least 15,801 species on the Red List of Threatened Species, according to IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature)
3 days ago
India faces a substantial cost gap with the United States for launching payloads. A recent study estimates India's cost at over $13,000 per kilogram by 2025. This contrasts with the United States' estimated cost of $3,225 per kilogram. The study highlights scale and experience as key factors for
3 days ago
Prime Minister Narendra Modi encouraged young space entrepreneurs to innovate for agriculture and daily life. He highlighted the potential of India's private space sector for global impact. Startups were urged to engage with schools and inspire future generations
3 days ago
Rock-solid evidence for the origins of birdsStones in dinosaur stomachs may help understanding of avian evolution Published on: Aug 20, 2026, 21:09:09 IST The Economist Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link How do you know what a dinosaur ate? Guts rot away after death
4 days ago
Was it meat or glucose that fueled the growth of the human brain? If evolutionary science told us, hitherto, that human brain expansion relied on meat to grow, a new study has an interesting addition to this theory. Published in a recent issue of Science
5 days ago
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to launch the GISAT-1A satellite in September, in a mission that will be watched closely for many important reasons. Since the two successive PSLV mission failures, in 2025 and early 2026, ISRO had paused launches as it investigated the reason
5 days ago
The Hara forests are a vital ecological treasure of the Persian Gulf. Spanning the Strait of Hormuz, these mangrove forests consist mainly of grey mangrove trees (Avicennia marina), which have a special filtration system in their roots that allows them to thrive in saline conditions
6 days ago
India spends more to put a kilogram of payload into orbit than any other major spacefaring nation, marring its public image as a cost-effective launcher, according to a new peer-reviewed analysis of more than six decades of rocket launches published in Economics Letters
8 days ago
“The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there,” the English novelist L.P. Hartley wrote famously in his 1953 novel The Go-Between. In a peculiar twist, the same cannot be said of the Moon. It is not a foreign country, or even a foreign world: the U.S
8 days ago
The computer did not create a virus. It did not touch a test tube or handle a living cell. What it did may ultimately be more consequential: it helped decide what the virus’s genome should be. Researchers at Stanford University and the Arc Institute used artificial intelligence (AI) to design
9 days ago
Spectators across Spain watched in wonder, some whipping off their protective glasses and rising to their feet in unison, as a rare total solar eclipse swept across the north of the country on Wednesday (August 12, 2026) evening, plunging it into darkness
9 days ago
Japan's MMX mission will blast off soon to collect Martian moon samples. The spacecraft will orbit Mars for three years and land on Phobos. This mission aims to understand Solar System origins and life's emergence. A rival Chinese mission also plans to return Mars samples around 2031
9 days ago
Draft rules for the SHANTI Act, 2025, mandate financial security for nuclear damage. Operators must maintain insurance or financial security until spent fuel removal. Foreign reactor designs require certification by their country of origin's regulatory body
10 days ago
As a total solar eclipse will be visible in parts of Europe on August 12 for the first time since 1999, solar physicists at the Raman Research Institute (RRI) in Bengaluru, along with collaborators, have predicted the magnetic structure of the Sun’s outer atmosphere, or its ‘crown’
10 days ago
When a young man was brought to my clinic after his first episode of psychosis, his parents wanted to know when he could return to college. This is not an atypical first interaction. However, in many instances, after a few consultations later and especially once the immediate crisis had settled
12 days ago
Some people can live apparently ordinary lives even when both copies of a gene (one inherited from the mother and the other from the father) have stopped working. Until their DNA is sequenced, they may never know that this has happened. A large study from Pakistan, published in Nature (June 2026)
12 days ago
Physicist Deepak Dhar received the 2026 Dirac Medal for his statistical mechanics work. He shares the award with three other scientists for their complex systems research. Their contributions span biology, finance, computer science, and artificial intelligence
13 days ago
Colombia and Venezuela experienced deadly earthquakes due to tectonic plate friction. The Nazca plate sliding beneath the South American plate caused tremors. Earthquake magnitude and depth significantly influenced the destructive impact. Building codes and terrain also played crucial roles in the
13 days ago
India has been invited to join NASA's Moon Base program. Discussions focused on expanding civil and commercial space cooperation. Both nations agreed to advance open scientific data sharing under Artemis Accords. They also reaffirmed commitment to UN guidelines for outer space sustainability
13 days ago
A team led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine has found that several inherited traits in the mouse genome break the rules Gregor Mendel laid down in the 19th century about how genes work. This is not because the genes mutate but because of chemical modifications of the genome
14 days ago
Urban India’s water emergency will not be fixed by better crisis management alone. Over the coming decades, hundreds of millions more people will live and work in Indian cities, driving a sharp increase in the urban water demand. And unless we change how we design, finance
16 days ago
![New Delhi [India], August 15 (ANI): The number of Electronics Hardware Technology Park (EHTP) units in India increased to 79 in 2025-26 from 70 two years](http://newsorbit360.com/files/news/en/imgs/electronics-hardware-technology-park-units-increase-to-79-in-two-years.png?width=120&height=70)
