Space Tech industry experts applaud India’s space sector reforms

New Delhi: A distinguished panel hosted at the Defence and Space Tech pavilion during the first day of Startup Mahakumbh 2025 brought together leaders from India’s burgeoning private space sector, highlighting that regulatory reforms have catalyzed growth, innovation, and global competitiveness.

The Defence and Space Tech Pavilion is co-anchored by Dr Vinod Kumar, Director, Promotion Directorate, IN-SPACe, and Sanjay Nekkanti, CEO and Co-founder, Dhruva Space; the pavilion is seeing participation from 30 Space Tech startups.

Industry experts from ARMS4AI, Astrome, Agnikul Cosmos, KaleidEO, Dhruva Space, and Skyroot Aerospace unanimously recognized the government’s progressive initiatives, particularly the Indian Space Policy and Geospatial Policy, as crucial enablers of private sector participation.

Dr. Jagrati Dabas, Founder and CEO of ARMS4AI, emphasized the democratization of geospatial data, stating, “The liberalization of geospatial data has allowed us to develop seamless, real-time geospatial solutions that serve both private and government sectors. These reforms have created a thriving ecosystem for innovation and application development.”

Col. Kunwar Varun Singh Tanwar, VSM, Head of Business Defence, Astrome, highlighted the defence sector’s integration with space technology.

“The establishment of dedicated agencies within the armed forces and initiatives like iDEX have enabled startups to contribute effectively to national security. The government’s vision of making space an enabler for all businesses is now a reality.”

Dinesh Parthasarathy, EVP, Manufacturing, Agnikul Cosmos, spoke about the streamlined authorization processes. “Before 2020, private space ventures lacked a clear regulatory path. The new policies have significantly reduced time-to-launch, enabling us to plan and execute orbital launches efficiently.”

Lt. Col. V. Ramanathan, VP, Strategic Liaisons, KaleidEO, underscored the paradigm shift in government-startup collaboration. “The shift from closed government-led problem-solving to an open, documented, and startup-driven approach has revolutionized the sector. Continuous evolution of these policies will be critical for achieving India’s Viksit Bharat 2047 vision.”

Sanjay Nekkanti, CEO, Dhruva Space, applauded the responsiveness of regulatory bodies. “In-SPACe’s dynamic approach to regulatory frameworks has expedited commercialization, allowing Indian startups to compete on a global scale. The agility in decision-making has been a game-changer.”

Venkata Ashwin Chander Mahavadi, SVP, Skyroot Aerospace, shared insights on India’s growing space launch capabilities. “We are preparing for India’s first private orbital launch, made possible by unprecedented access to government facilities and support. The agility and proactive engagement from regulatory bodies have made India an attractive destination for global space-tech collaborations.”

Start-up Mahakumbh 2025, the world’s biggest showcase of innovation, is being organised from April 3-5, 2025, at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.

Attendees can register online via the official event website to explore these groundbreaking innovations and engage with industry leaders shaping the future of India’s precision manufacturing, defence, and space technology sectors.

About Startup Mahakumbh

Startup Mahakumbh is a first-of-its-kind event bringing together the entire startup ecosystem of India including startups, investors, incubators and accelerators, and industry leaders from several sectors. It is led by FICCI, ASSOCHAM, NASSCOM, TiE, IVCA and Bootstrap Foundation, and supported by GEM, SIDBI, ECGC, DPIIT and MeitY.

The second edition of Startup Mahakumbh is set to make a grand return in 2025, building on the tremendous success of its inaugural edition. The flagship startup event was an extraordinary success, attracting over 50,000 business visitors engaging with 3000 exhibitors including finest startups, soonicorns, and unicorns, from 26-odd states and 50-odd countries.

It also hosted 1000-odd incubators and accelerators and 1000-odd leading angel investors, VCs, and family offices.