IN-SPACe Grants Six-Month Extension To Foreign Satellite Firms

By Pune Media On Feb 28, 2025

India’s space regulator, the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), has given non-Indian companies that already operate satellites in India an extension on applying for fresh authorisations. This comes as an update to the guidelines, norms, and procedures to implement the Indian Space Policy 2023 that IN-SPACe released last year.

These norms stated that foreign companies that had existing satellite operations in India through existing arrangements (with government entities like NewSpace India Limited or directly leasing C-band frequency capacity) could continue to provide these services without fresh authorisation till March 31, 2025. Now, the regulator has extended this deadline for fresh authorisation to September 30, 2025. The norms also specify that all foreign satellite operators will need explicit authorisation from IN-SPACe starting April 1, 2025.

How long does it take to get IN-SPACe authorisation?

As per the regulator’s 2024 norms, it takes anywhere between 75 and 120 days to process authorisation applications. The application processing speed depends upon factors such as requirement of inter-ministerial/departmental consultations and timely response from the different entities involved in the authorisation process, including the applicant.

As such, companies are advised to apply for authorisation six months in advance. The six-month extension could have been made to accommodate companies that only recently applied for authorisation.

Why it matters:

India’s space sector has been a key topic of discussion in the past couple of years, with multiple foreign companies, namely Starlink, Amazon’s satellite project Kuiper, and GlobalStar, showing interest in entering the country. However, the entry of foreign players has also revealed new safety risks for India.

For instance, reports suggest that the Indian authorities have found a Starlink router and antenna in the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) camp in Manipur, which helped individuals and militant groups access the internet during internet shutdowns. Similarly, reports also suggest that drug smugglers travelled across Indian waters from Myanmar to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands using Starlink devices for navigation. This is despite the fact that Starlink does not have authorisation to operate in India and says that it has turned off its services over India.

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