IN-SPACe Processing Starlink, Amazon-Owned Project Kuiper’s Landing Rights Applications

The applications of Elon Musk-led Starlink and Amazon-owned Project Kuiper for landing rights authorisation in the country are under the consideration of the Indian Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe). 

“Starlink and Amazon Kuiper’s applications seeking IN-SPACe authorisation for provisioning of their constellation capacity (in India) are under process,” IN-SPACe chairman Pawan Goenka told Economic Times.

Landing rights refers to the authorisation given to companies to use their satellites in the country. Starlink and Project Kupier are seeking the authorisation as they intend to provide satellite communications services in India.

While the two companies are yet to get their licences for starting satellite broadband services in India, the grant of landing rights would not hinge on approval from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Goenka added.

The DoT is yet to grant the global mobile personal communication by satellite services (GMPCS) licence to SpaceX and Amazon, which is the first step towards launching satcom services in India.

Furthermore, the government is yet to allocate spectrum for satellite broadband.

Meanwhile, Bharti Enterprises-backed Eutelsat OneWeb and Reliance Jio’s satcom venture Orbit Connect India have already secured GMPCS permits from the government.

Although Starlink applied for a permit in India in 2022, it has been facing a critical hurdle vis-à-vis ownership declaration. While granting a GMPCS licence to a company, India mandates a complete disclosure of ownership.

Starlink told the Indian government earlier that the US privacy laws ban it from sharing ownership details of SpaceX, its parent entity, which led to disagreements and, in turn, the cancellation of planned satcom service trials in the country. Later, Starlink has submitted a declaration regarding its ownership.

Earlier, it was reported that the DoT fast-tracked Starlink’s application ahead of Musk’s planned India visit. The department was said to be drawing up a letter of intent (LoI) and contemplating a trial spectrum for Starlink’s satellite communication services. However, Musk postponed his visit to India and there have been no further updates on its application

 Recently, India amended its policy to allow 100% FDI in the space sector, a move aimed at wooing investors to invest in Indian space companies.

As per Inc42’s analysis, India’s space sector is expected to reach $77 Bn by 2030, up from $15 Bn in 2023, clocking a CAGR of 26% during the period.