PM Modi calls upon space startups to make India a go-to destination for global talent, investors

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets young space entrepreneurs and innovators in New Delhi. | Photo Credit: ANI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday (August 23, 2026) called upon the country’s private space sector to build an ecosystem that can attract global talent, companies and investment, saying the country should create an “aura” that makes it a destination for people seeking to build careers in the sector.

Mr. Modi was interacting with the CEOs and founders of 20 Indian space startups here as India marked the third National Space Day. The day is observed on August 23 to commemorate the Chandrayaan-3 landing on the Moon in 2023, when India became the first country to land in the lunar south polar region.

“You have shown courage in entering a new field,” Mr. Modi told the entrepreneurs, emphasising the importance of consistent government policy in giving risk-takers confidence that they would not be abandoned if things went wrong.

“We should create such an aura that people around the world feel that if they want to build a future in this field, they should come to India,” he said. “India’s space sector can become a magnet for the global talent pool.”

Mr. Modi highlighted India’s cost competitiveness and talent, saying these advantages could help the country quickly establish itself in the global space industry. He urged startups to look beyond space applications and work with sectors such as agriculture, livestock, and dairy, as well as with organisations that work for the envrionment to improve lives.

The entrepreneurs outlined a range of ambitions. Skyroot Aerospace, represented by its co-founder and CEO, Pawan Kumar Chandana, highlighted plans to scale rocket production and launches after its July 18 orbital mission.

Other companies described plans spanning advanced propulsion, global ground-station networks, orbital debris removal, in-space docking and refuelling, space-based pharmaceutical manufacturing and agricultural applications. Serendipity Space said it is developing technology to manufacture pharmaceuticals in microgravity, while OrbitAID Aerospace is working on docking and in-space refuelling with a longer-term vision of orbital fuel stations.

The 20 startups represented were Skyroot Aerospace, Agnikul Cosmos, Pixxel, Dhruva Space, GalaxEye, PierSight, Bellatrix Aerospace, Digantara, SatSure, Suhora Technologies, Manastu Space, Astrobase, TakeMe2Space, VyomIC, Cosmoserve Space, OrbitAID Aerospace, SkyServe (Hyspace), Serendipity Space, Vassar Labs and mistEO.

Mr. Modi also urged the startups to work with Atal Tinkering Labs to nurture interest in space among schoolchildren.

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