IN-SPACe unveils norms, guidelines, and procedures for implementing Indian space policy | Ahmedabad News - Times of India

Source: The Times of India

Ahmedabad: Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Center (IN-SPACe) under Department of Space, Govt of India, on Friday unveiled norms, guidelines and procedures (NGP) for effective implementation of the Indian space policy released last year that opened up the sector to private players to engage in a range of activities from building and launching satellites to setting up ground stations and share remote sensing data.

The 147-page document lists out space activities that need authorization from IN-SPACe, specifies criteria for granting such authorizations and provides necessary guidelines and pre-requisites to be fulfilled by an applicant for making an authorization application.

The NGP will complement govt's endeavour to provide a predictable regulatory regime, transparency and ease of doing business in the Indian space sector, said IN-SPACe officials.

According to the NGP document, any entity, whether Indian or foreign, carrying out space activities from Indian territory, its exclusive economic zone, or within its jurisdiction, needs authorization from the IN-SPACe.

The authorization is required for a wide range of activities, including launching, operating, guiding, planning re-entry of space objects, establishing communication and remote sensing satellites, hosting payloads, operating space transportation systems, and disseminating high-resolution remote sensing data pertaining to Indian territory.

The NGP document states, 'Only an Indian entity can apply to IN-SPACe seeking authorization. Non-Indian entities desiring to conduct space activity in India can apply to IN-SPACe for authorization through an Indian entity, which could be its Indian subsidiary, joint venture or any other collaboration arrangement recognized by the Govt of India.'

'However, the authorized representative/dealer of non-Indian entities can seek IN-SPACe authorization for certain category of authorizations such as authorization of non-Indian GSO and/or NGSO satellite/constellation to enable provisioning of its capacity in India for communication services, dissemination of space-based earth observation/remote sensing data, etc,' the document adds.

It also outlines the process for registering space objects in India's national registry and makes it mandatory for operators to provide detailed information about their space objects, ensuring compliance with space debris mitigation guidelines and operational safety protocols.