India is targeting 50 space launches every year by 2030, as the country looks to scale up its commercial space ecosystem and expand the role of private industry, said IN-SPACe Chairman Pawan Goenka.
Goenka highlighted the rapid growth of India’s private space sector, with the number of registered space startups rising to around 440 by August 2026, from just one in 2014. The broader ecosystem is now estimated at more than 450 startups.
According to Goenka, India’s decision to open the space sector to private participation was driven by two objectives: enabling ISRO to focus on new frontiers while allowing private companies to build and scale their capabilities.
The next challenge, he said, is scaling up launch capacity. Achieving 50 launches annually will require close collaboration between the government and private industry, with companies taking a larger role across the commercial space value chain.
India’s space economy is currently valued at around $9 billion and is projected to reach $40–45 billion over the next decade, highlighting the growing economic opportunity in the sector.
The expansion of private participation is also expected to allow ISRO to concentrate on advanced research, strategic missions and frontier technologies, while industry scales up mature technologies and commercial operations. Goenka has stressed that ISRO will remain central to India’s space programme even as the private ecosystem expands.
