The concept of "Space & ISRO" centers on the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), which is the national space agency of India and the principal research and development arm of the Department of Space (DoS), overseen by the Prime Minister. ISRO is an institution formed on August 15, 1969, superseding the Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR), which was set up in 1962 on the recommendation of Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, the father of the Indian space programme. The core problem it solved was harnessing space technology for national development and various national needs, such as communication, meteorology, and resource monitoring.
ISRO's mechanism involves developing launch vehicles like the PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) and GSLV (Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle) and operating major space systems for navigation (GAGAN and IRNSS) and communication. The agency built India's first satellite, Aryabhata, launched in 1975 by the Soviet space agency.
The Indian space sector has recently undergone significant change, driven by the Indian Space Policy 2023, which aims to shift the ecosystem from a government-led to a more private-sector-driven model. This policy tasks ISRO with focusing on advanced research, technology development, and human spaceflight, while permitting Non-Governmental Entities (NGEs) to undertake end-to-end space activities. This new framework connects ISRO to two key institutions: the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), established in 2020 as the single-window clearance and authorization agency for private space activities, and NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), a public sector undertaking established in 2019 as the commercial arm of ISRO. NSIL's role is to commercialize ISRO's technologies and products, a function previously handled by the older commercial arm, Antrix Corporation, incorporated in 1992. The policy also liberalized Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) rules in 2024, allowing up to 100% FDI under the automatic route for manufacturing satellite components.