India widens student role in space missions as sector reforms gather pace
New Delhi — Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is expanding student participation in satellite design and space missions as India seeks to strengthen its space research ecosystem and grow its share in the global space economy, the government said.
India’s Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh told parliamentarians that the government has allocated about 10 crore rupees (around $1.08 million) annually for student-focused outreach in space science and technology, according to a statement from the Department of Space.
The funding supports programmes aimed at encouraging university and school students to design satellites, develop payloads and participate in mission-related experiments under the mentorship of ISRO scientists.
The government has also set up Space Technology Incubation Centres across several regions to support collaboration between universities and space researchers. The centres are intended to help students develop indigenous space technologies while gaining exposure to real mission operations.
Since 2024, the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Center (IN-SPACe) has organised student competitions involving model rocket design and CanSats — small satellites roughly the size of a beverage can that simulate satellite functions after descending by parachute.
According to Singh, IN-SPACe has authorised 17 student-designed satellites and payloads, of which 11 have already been launched successfully.
The agency is also supporting young entrepreneurs through mentorship programmes, pre-incubation assistance and co-working facilities at its technical centres.
The push to involve students comes as India liberalises its space sector under the Indian Space Policy‑2023, which outlines a framework for greater public-private cooperation in space activities.
Officials say private industry will be key to India’s ambition to raise its share of the $450-billion global space economy from about 2% to nearly 8% by 2033.India had more than 300 active space startups in 2025 working in areas including launch services, satellite manufacturing, Earth observation, communications, propulsion systems and space data analytics, according to the Indian Space Association.
The association’s director-general, A.K. Bhatt, said early engagement in satellite design and mission development would help build a stronger pipeline of skilled researchers and engineers.Encouraging students to design satellites and build payloads strengthens innovation capacity at the grassroots level, Bhatt told .
India’s space ambitions have accelerated in recent years through a series of high-profile missions. In August 2023, ISRO’s Chandrayaan‑3 landed near the Moon’s south pole, making India the first country to reach that region and the fourth nation overall to achieve a lunar landing.
In January 2025, India conducted its first successful space docking experiment between two spacecraft in orbit. Later that year, astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla travelled to the International Space Station, becoming the second Indian national in space after Rakesh Sharma.
ISRO also collaborated with NASA in 2025 to launch a joint Earth-observation satellite providing high-resolution radar imagery, and in December deployed the BlueBird Block 2 payload, the heaviest ever launched from Indian soil.
