India adopts CubeSat standard for global satellite play
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. New Delhi: India has adopted the global standard for CubeSat—a class of small satellites—as part of the Union government’s efforts to expand the country’s share in the global space economy, two people aware of the development said.
“The plan is to support educational institutions and research organizations to build and experiment with CubeSats that are developed with off-the-shelf components and provide an affordable alternative by reducing costs and development times considerably as compared to traditional satellites," said the first person quoted above on the condition of anonymity. Small-sized and low-weight satellites exponentially bring down launch costs.
The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), an arm of the Department of Consumer Affairs, has adopted the global standard for CubeSat when the government is opening its space sector to private companies and allowing public-private participation, along with earmarking a ₹1,000 crore venture capital (VC) fund for India’s space sector. Also read | In-Space seeks bids from domestic space firms to build, maintain satellites As per Statista, the Indian satellite communication market, valued at $1.6 billion in 2022, is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.75% from 2023 to 2030.
India’s space economy stands at $8 billion, contributing around 2-3% of the global space economy. The government expects it to reach $100 billion by 2040, according to Arthur D.
Little, a strategy and management consultancy firm. “With a compact form factor of 100mm cube and a maximum weight of 1kg, CubeSats will empower universities, research organizations and industries to advance small satellite technologies," said the second person quoted
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