PM Modi to launch Indian Space Association on 11th October
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch Indian Space Association (ISpA) on 11th October, 2021 at 11 AM via video conferencing. He will also interact with representatives of the Space Industry on this landmark occasion.
ISpA is the Premier Industry Association of Space and Satellite companies, which aspires to be the collective voice of the Indian Space industry. It will undertake policy advocacy and engage with all stakeholders in the Indian Space domain, including the Government and its agencies.
Echoing the Prime Minister’s vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, ISpA will help in making India self-reliant, technologically advanced and a leading player in the space arena.
ISpA is represented by leading home grown and global corporations with advanced capabilities in space and satellite technologies. Its founding members include Larson & Toubro, Nelco (Tata Group), OneWeb, Bharti Airtel, Mapmyindia, Walchandnagar Industries and Ananth Technology Limited. Other core members include Godrej, Hughes India, Azista-BST Aerospace Private Limited, BEL, Centum Electronics, Maxar India.
L&T-NxT Senior Executive Vice President for Defence, Jayant Patil has been appointed as the first Chairman of ISpA, while Bharti Airtel's Chief Regulatory Officer Rahul Vatts will serve as Vice Chairman.
Radiance Media spoke to many start-ups, who are also coming up with new ideas in the space sector. They said that once these MSMEs join the Association, the group would be more vibrant.
Earlier, Dr K Sivan, Secretary, Space and Chairman ISRO had an interaction with delegates from Industry, Academia and Start-ups on 25 August, 2021. They proposed their ideas to the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe). About 25 non-government/ private entities (NGPEs) including L&T, Bharti Airtel, Pixel, Agnikul, Skyroot, Alpha Designs briefed the Chairman, ISRO on their activities and sought suggestions for accomplishment of the same.
Dr Sivan acknowledged and appreciated the formation of an exclusive space industry advocacy group – the Indian Space Association (ISpA) – of stakeholders of the Indian space ecosystem to collectively voice the expectations and aspirations to IN-SPACe.
He suggested start-ups and industry players to join the ISpA and benefit from the platform to enhance the evolving landscape of space activities in the country. Lt Gen AK Bhatt (Retd), DG, and JD Patil, Chairman (Designate), ISpA, presented the roadmap of the association expressing how it would benefit the space industry as a whole, in-line with the vision of the Prime Minister for the overall development of the Nation.