Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday launched the Indian Space Association (ISpA) and said that India will ensure that the space sector unites the world. “India will have to ensure that space plays an important role in uniting, connecting the world in the 21st century,” he said.

He said that reforms in the space sector are based on four pillars: freedom of innovation to the private sector, the government’s role as an enabler, preparing the youth for the future, and seeing the space sector as a tool for the development of the common man.

ISpA is a private industry body to help boost space technology in India. ISpA’s founding members include OneWeb, Bharti Airtel, Mapmyindia, Walchandnagar Industries, and Ananth Technology Limited among others. ISpA will participate and work with ISRO and others on the issue of policy around space technology and domain. It will focus on capacity building and space economic hubs and incubators in India.

The Prime Minister further added saying, “This is the time of exponential innovation, which can only be achieved when the government doesn’t play the role of handler but enabler. Today government is sharing its expertise and providing launch pads for the private sector. Today, the facility of ISRO is being opened for the private sector.

Invoking the government’s role in boosting the private sector in space technology, the prime minister said, “From the Defence to the Space sector, the government is sharing its expertise, providing a launchpad for the private sector and Isro’s facilities are being opened. We will ensure that technology that has matured in the sector is transferred to private companies and the government will act as an aggregator for space assets.”

Space technology has been used as a tool for last-mile delivery, leakage-free and transparent governance. From using geo-tagging to satellite monitoring to helping fishermen, planning disaster management, space technology is helping in good governance, the prime minister said.

” The space sector is a medium for the development of the common people and aims to provide better mapping, imaging, and connectivity. Providing better speed to entrepreneurs, improved forecasting, security and income for the agriculture sector, predicting natural disasters, and saving lives and livelihoods,” PM Modi added.