Hyderabad: India must now shift focus from showcasing technological capability to building scale in space activities through larger satellite constellations, higher launch frequency and greater private participation, former ISRO Chairman A S Kiran Kumar said.
He was speaking at the third edition of a symposium held at T-Hub, Hyderabad, which brought together leaders in space, defence and strategic affairs for a discussion on “The Day the Sky Goes Dark: Warfare in the Age of Satellite Dependence.”
“Our technological achievements are unquestioned. The question now is about building capacity — volume,” Kiran Kumar said, underlining the need for private players to step in to deliver scale. “There is significant scope and an urgent need for greater industry participation,” he added.
Former DRDO Chairman G Satheesh Reddy highlighted the organisation’s increasing engagement with industry. “DRDO is significantly moving to build capabilities of systems and sub-systems through the private sector. We will continue to focus on research and frontier capabilities,” he said, adding that India was emerging as a significant exporter of weapon systems. “India’s technology standing is ahead of where most people think it is,” he noted.
Chairman and Managing Director of Ananth Technologies, Dr Subba Rao Pavuluri stressed the need for sustained orders and capital investment to unlock the potential of the private space ecosystem.
“The ecosystem is already present. What is required now is steady orders and meaningful capital infusion,” he said, arguing that satellites should be integrated into weapon systems rather than treated as specialised assets.
