Govt Unveils ‘Mission DefSpace’ To Spur Startups To Develop Solutions For Armed Forces

In a bid to incentivise homegrown spacetech startups to create solutions for the country’s defence sector, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (October 19) announced the launch of ‘Mission DefSpace’.

“Mission Defence Space will not only encourage innovation and strengthen the forces but also provide new and in

novative solutions,” he said.

The Mission aims to enable startups and private enterprises to develop innovative spacetech solutions for the Indian armed forces. As part of the initiative, startups and industry players will work on as many as 75 challenges reviewed and identified by the three defence services.

The programme is aimed at capitalising on India’s growing dominance in the spacetech industry. 

“Space technology is an example of what security will mean for any strong nation in the future. Various challenges in this area have been reviewed and identified by the three services. We have to work fast to solve them,” the prime minister said.

He also said that a range of other reliable options have emerged to replace the monopoly of a few companies in the defence sector. 

“The youth of India has shown the power to break this monopoly in the defence industry and this effort of our youth is for the global good,” added Modi.

The Mega DefExpo 2022

The launch was among a slew of key announcements made by the prime minister during the inauguration of the DefExpo 2022 in Gujarat’s Gandhinagar. The event also saw PM Modi unveiling the indigenously developed trainer aircraft, HTT-40, and laying the foundation stone of the Deesa airfield in the state.

The government also announced the fourth positive indigenisation list of 101 items. All items mentioned in the list will now be procured from indigenous sources.

Overall, the Defence Expo will see more than 1,300 exhibitors, including more than 100 startups, showcasing their products to the attendees. Besides, the programme will also see more than 400 memoranda of understanding signed between various defence companies and industry players.

Addressing the gathering, the PM also remarked that the exhibition provides a glimpse into the capability and possibility of India in one single frame. Lauding the country’s achievements, he said that space technology is driving new definitions of India’s space diplomacy.

“There are more than 60 developing countries with whom India is sharing its space science. Many African countries and many other small countries are benefiting from this,” he added.

The event was also attended by Defence Minister Shri Rajnath Singh, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, and the three chiefs of defence services. 

This comes barely a day after Singh urged Indian startups and innovators to come up with new ideas to modernise the Indian Army. 

Mission DefSpace will operate at the intersection of spacetech and defence domains. The government has separately undertaken a clutch of reforms in each of these areas. While the spacetech sector has been opened up to private players and startups, the government has also envisaged a host of schemes such as iDEX to spur startups in the defence sector. 

Besides, the government has also undertaken initiatives such as banning import of drones and local procurement of certain defence items to steadily build the defence infrastructure in the country. 

While deepetch players such as drone manufacturers already work with the Indian Army, the government is also looking at onboarding spacetech players to provide tailored solutions for the defence services. These could likely entail areas such as aerial data, satellite imaging and hyperspectral imaging to capture precise data to aid in the operations of the defence forces. 

Currently, India is home to more than 100 spacetech startups that have raised hefty funding rounds this year. While Skyroot raised the highest funding ($51 Mn) for an Indian spacetech startup earlier this year, another player Pixxel bagged $25 Mn in its Series A funding round in March 2022. 

Overall, the Indian commercial spacetech market is expected to grow to $77 Bn by 2030.