The private sector will now be allowed to carry out space activities like building of rockets, satellites and providing launch services, said ISRO Chairman K Sivan on Thursday.

He said the private sector can also be part of the inter-planetary missions of the Indian Space Research Organisation.

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Addressing the media, Sivan said that the Department of Space will promote sector space activities to enable it to provide end-to-end space services, including building and launching of rockets and satellites as well as providing space-based services on commercial basis.

He added that if the space sector is opened for private enterprises, the potential of the entire country can be utilised to scale up benefits from space technology.

With this, there is an opportunity for large-scale employment in the technology sector and India becoming a global technology powerhouse, the ISRO chief said.

The Cabinet on Wednesday approved participation of the private sector in the entire range of space activities, including planetary exploration missions.

The Government has approved the establishment of an autonomous nodal agency — Indian National Space, Promotion and Authorisation Centre — for taking independent decisions with respect to permitting and regulating the activities of private companies in space sector.

Sivan, however, added that ISRO’s activities are not going to reduce and it will continue to carry our space-based activities including advanced research and development, inter-planetary and human space flight missions.

The proposed Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), part of space sector reforms aimed at bringing in private sector participation, will be a separate vertical under the Department of Space (DOS), said ISRO Chairman K Sivan on Thursday.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief also said a new Navigation Policy is also being proposed. Suitable changes in Remote Sensing Data Policy as well as SATCOM policy are also on the anvil as a part of aligning them to an open and inclusive space sector.