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India
Space industry, companies, and programs in India
Region
Asia
Space Agency
ISRO
Indian Space Research Organisation
Space Budget
~$2B
Companies
3
0 public + 3 private
About India's Space Industry
India's space program, led by ISRO, has achieved remarkable milestones including the Chandrayaan-3 lunar landing and the Mangalyaan Mars orbiter on a shoestring budget. A growing private sector with Skyroot Aerospace, Agnikul Cosmos, and Pixxel is transforming India into a global space startup hub, supported by liberalized government policies for commercial space activities.
Private Companies
Venture-backed and private space companies based in India
Space Programs
Government and agency programs associated with India
Chandrayaan Program
activeISRO • 2008–ongoing
India's lunar exploration program. Chandrayaan-3 achieved a historic soft landing at the lunar south pole on Aug 23, 2023, making India the 4th country to land on the Moon and the first to land near the south pole. The Pragyan rover operated for 14 days analyzing lunar soil composition. Chandrayaan-4 is a sample return mission approved by the Indian government.
₹615 crore (~$75M) for Chandrayaan-3; Chandrayaan-4 approved at ₹2,104 crore (~$250M)
Gaganyaan (Human Spaceflight)
activeISRO • 2018–2026
India's first crewed spaceflight program. Will make India the 4th country to independently send humans to space. Uses the GSLV Mk III (LVM3) rocket and a 3-crew orbital module. Multiple uncrewed test flights completed including abort test and TV-D2 crew escape demonstration. First crewed mission targeted for late 2026.
₹12,600 crore (~$1.5B)
Aditya-L1 (Solar Observatory)
activeISRO • 2023–2028+
India's first dedicated solar observation mission. Launched Sep 2, 2023, and successfully inserted into a halo orbit around Sun-Earth L1 point on Jan 6, 2024. Carries 7 payloads studying the solar corona, photosphere, chromosphere, and solar wind. Providing continuous solar observation without eclipses.
₹378 crore (~$46M)
LUPEX (Lunar Polar Exploration)
plannedJAXA / ISRO • 2028–2029
Joint Japan-India lunar rover mission to the Moon's south pole. JAXA provides the rover and ISRO provides the lander. The rover will carry a drill capable of penetrating 1.5 meters below the surface to confirm the presence of water ice and characterize its distribution. Toyota is developing the rover's driving technology.
~$500M (joint JAXA-ISRO)
NISAR (NASA-ISRO SAR Satellite)
plannedNASA / ISRO • 2025–2028
Joint NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar satellite that will map the entire globe every 12 days using dual-frequency radar. Will track changes in Earth's ice sheets, ecosystems, sea level, natural hazards, and groundwater with unprecedented precision. One of the most capable Earth observation satellites ever built.
$1.5B (NASA: L-band radar; ISRO: S-band radar, spacecraft, launch)
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