Key initiatives like the ₹1,000-crore Space Venture Capital Fund announced in 2024 for space start-ups and the Technology Transfer of Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) to HAL in boosting the space start-up ecosystem in the country | Photo Credit: PTI

Private sector participation in India’s space sector has expanded sharply over the past decade with the number of registered space startups in India having gone from 1 in 2014 to over 400 in 2026, according to a written reply to a Lok Sabha question by Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of Science and Technology. 

Over this period, the investment in space start-ups crossed more than $500 million, a release from the Department of Space on the matter added. 

It added that as of 2026, two private sector companies have tested and flown their launch vehicles at sub orbital orbit— Skyrook Aerospace in November 2022 and Agnikul Cosmos in May 2024. 

Beyond sub-orbital launches, 25 payloads from private entities have flown or are planned to fly on the PSLV Orbital Experimental Module (POEM) — a platform many private firms are using to test and qualify their technologies in real space conditions.

Key initiatives

The statement also highlighted key initiatives like the ₹1,000-crore Space Venture Capital Fund announced in 2024 for space start-ups and the Technology Transfer of Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) to HAL in boosting the space start-up ecosystem in the country. 

Several State governments are now treating space as a ‘sunrise sector’ making proactive policies to encourage companies in this domain through incentive schemes, it added.

Published on February 11, 2026