India must skill its next gen to up its space game

Integrating space education and skill development is crucial for the country's next big leap in space technology

India’s economic transformations in recent years are due to different global factors. The current globally dominating factor across sectors is the advent of an artificial intelligence revolution. 

In the space sector, too, technological disruptions have played a greater role in fuelling a geopolitical urgency to win the so-called space race. Revitalised in 2020, following the government’s nod for opening up the space sector to private players, India is looking at ushering in a new age of space reforms. 

Today, the sector is diversified and multi-dimensional. But, are we enabling the young space enthusiasts and entrepreneurs enough to take on the challenges? Perhaps, there is a need to devise stringent skill development measures to up the game.

India was a late bloomer in the space race. However, with perseverance and integrity, we have got a place among the top five space-faring nations. The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro)’s continued strides in undertaking crucial missions for India has been a steering point, but it was the year 2020 that saw the private space sector bloom in India. 

At the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), which was the result of the government’s reforms in 2020, we are mapping a scalable future for India in the private space sector. We have our regular authorisations and facilitations in place; and beyond, we now have regulated skill development courses in various related domains that can help build leadership among space enthusiasts and entrepreneurs.

Before jumping into the skill development bandwagon, we need to understand who is driving India’s next big jump in space technology: It is the startups and other NGEs (non-government entities) led by students and researchers from the IITs, IIMs and other technical institutions. 

At IN-SPACe, as of February 2025, we have had 53 NGEs among the 77 authorisations issued. This is in addition to 79 technology transfer agreements signed under the aegis of IN-SPACe. All of these are part of India’s stride in private space reforms, led by a young India. 

However, considering the changing geopolitics around space, and India’s collaboration with other space agencies, it is clear that we need a space force of youth who are equipped with skills to manage complex, cross-national projects.

We are finalising a space legislation that will help us secure our sector better, and there are also several flexibilities already in place to ignite a R&D and startup boom. But it will take more than just policies to fire this rocket.

The integration of space education into India’s National Education Policy is an affirmative step in this regard. It is essential to inculcate a space-forward mindset among students. 

In schools, it has been proposed as a vocational inclusion; in higher studies, it becomes core, or should become. We have a ‘national committee for adoption of space technology education’ formed by IN-SPACe in 2024, which provides short-term domain-specific credit courses with hands-on training in association with Isro and NGEs. 

Apart from these, considering the growing demand, AICTE, in collaboration with IN-SPACe and Isro, introduced a model curriculum for a minor degree in space technology at the undergraduate level, which includes six courses spanning various topics such as ‘introduction to space technology’, ‘launch vehicle systems and technologies’, ‘spaceflight mechanics and attitude dynamics’, ‘spacecraft systems’, ‘space data products and services’, and ‘space economics, laws, policy and benefits’.

What is the necessity? Perhaps, the answer lies in the multi-disciplinary surge within the space-tech domain. One can start their curiosity with the ‘essentials of satellite manufacturing’ and the ‘fundamentals of launch vehicle technology’. It will then lead them to the ‘foundation of mission design and avionics development for launch vehicle’ and ‘fundamentals of orbital mechanics’ etc. 

These then branch out to learning the basics of space data products and services, space-based communication and navigation systems and so on. There is a plethora of these foundation-setting courses that will eventually lead to finer details of the space sector’s role in enhancing India’s security, agriculture and weather monitoring technologies and repository building across sectors. 

At IN-SPACe, as an authoriser, enabler, promoter and supervisor, devising a seamless mechanism to run cross-departmental courses for skill development in these areas has been a priority.

This is not to say that we focus only on a holistic national goal. We also envisage cooperation at the regional level, partnering with state governments and science bodies in enabling this culture of upskilling among space enthusiasts and young scientists. 

For a diverse and uniquely multidimensional India in space, region-centricity in skill development through space education is key, which in turn will contribute to a national whole. 

If today, we are just over 50 per cent in employability metrics in India, the data does not segregate how many are skilled to take on the space technology boom. 

Perhaps that will also happen soon with a rapid demand surge. And to stay ahead of that tide, integrating space education and technological reforms from the school level to higher studies and beyond is key. 

A cohesive cooperation among higher technical institutes is also necessary. This will enable an India that aims to become a $44-billion commercial space economy by 2033 and strive for a Viksit Bharat by 2047.

(The writer is director, Promotion Directorate, IN-SPACe)