Chennai: A space industry body has urged the government to provide policy support and financial incentives to nurture the nascent orbital servicing ecosystem in the country. A report by the Indian Space Association (ISpA) and OrbitAID Aerospace, a startup working on extending satellite life, has called for a production-linked incentive programme, procurement commitments from strategic sectors such as defence, and dedicated funding for companies developing ISAM technologies. ISAM refers to in-space servicing, assembly and manufacturing, which includes satellite life extension, in-orbit repair, modular upgrades, and, in the long term, space-based assembly and manufacturing.The report said innovation-based grant programmes and seed funding schemes from agencies such as IN-SPACe would support early-stage experimentation and prototyping by startups, component manufacturers and end-users.It noted that the shift from disposable satellites to serviceable space infrastructure offers an opportunity for India’s growing private space sector. The increasing demand for satellite constellations has also created an economic rationale for ISAM, including life extension and repair. “India is not constrained by massive investments in traditional space architectures to the same extent as more established spacefaring nations, and has already demonstrated global competitiveness in launch services through cost efficiency and engineering excellence,” it said.Procurement commitments would act as demand anchors, generating initial demand and establishing risk benchmarks for the market, it added.The report also argued for mapping and targeted support of components and sub-systems, along with standardisation and the establishment of testing infrastructure for this strategically important area.
