The three-day event, organized by the Space Industry Association of India, brought together around 600 participants from more than 20 countries and is among the region’s largest space sector gatherings.

Discussions at the congress cover satellite communications, direct-to-device connectivity, Earth observation, geospatial intelligence, launch systems, in-orbit services, navigation, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, space sustainability and manufacturing.

Industry representatives said the event aims to strengthen collaboration between government, private companies and international partners as India develops its space capabilities.The congress also highlights the growing role of private companies after India opened the space sector to wider private participation in 2020, allowing firms to build and operate satellites and provide launch services.

Space Industry Association representatives said the changing environment has allowed private companies to move beyond traditional supplier roles and become independent participants in the sector.

India’s space economy is aiming to expand to $44 billion by 2033, with startups increasingly contributing to satellite technology, communications and space-based services.Participants said the event provides startups with opportunities to connect with investors, partners and the wider space ecosystem.

Companies including VyomIC, which is developing a private low-Earth orbit positioning, navigation and timing satellite constellation, said the congress helps build cooperation within the industry.Other startups such as ULOOK, focused on space-based radio-frequency intelligence, said the platform allows them to showcase technology and establish new partnerships.

The congress is also being used to explore international cooperation, including potential collaborations with countries in the Middle East in satellite manufacturing, launches and space education.

Roughly two-thirds of Indonesia’s 280 million population already use the internet, but connectivity is limited in far-flung, underdeveloped eastern islands of the Southeast Asian country.

“Satellite technology will accelerate internet access to villages in areas that cannot be reached by fiber optics in the next 10 years,” Mahfud MD, senior Indonesian minister, said in a statement ahead of the launch.

The 4.5-tonne Satellite of the Republic of Indonesia (SATRIA-1) was built by Thales Alenia Space and deployed into orbit from Florida by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, which then returned to an offshore site in a precision landing.

The satellite will occupy the orbital slot above Indonesia’s eastern Papua region. It has a throughput capacity of 150 gigabytes per second and will provide internet access to 50,000 public service points, the Indonesian government said.

The project is a public-private partnership between the government and Indonesian satellite service provider PT Satelit Nusantara Tiga.