Portfolio · Department of Space
The Department of Space, to which ISRO belongs, comes under the Prime Minister. Dr. Jitendra Singh is the Minister of State in the Department. This page records the sector's reforms and missions, and his documented part in them: parliamentary replies, public statements and events he attended.
Orbit I · Policy
Between 2020 and 2025 the Government opened space activity to private companies in stages. Each item below is a government decision. The Minister's role was to explain and report on these decisions in Parliament and in public.
The Union Cabinet approved private participation in space activities. The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) was created to provide “a level playing field for private companies”.
PIB 1633892In a Rajya Sabha written reply on 10 August 2023, Dr. Jitendra Singh said the policy “has been approved and released in the public domain”. It opens the sector to non-government entities and sets out the roles of IN-SPACe, ISRO, NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) and the Department of Space.
PIB 1947441The Cabinet decided that “100% FDI is allowed in space sector”. The automatic route covers up to 74% for satellite manufacturing and operation, up to 49% for launch vehicles and spaceports, and up to 100% for components.
PIB 2007876According to a Lok Sabha reply of 1 April 2026, the ₹1,005 crore fund was registered with SEBI on 31 October 2025, and investments are expected from FY2027.
PIB 2247865Orbit II · Ecosystem
These figures were given in Parliament and at press events. Space-economy estimates are the Minister's statements and are not independently audited.
Startup counts vary by date and source. The Rajya Sabha was told of “399 start-ups” on 29 January 2026, and the Minister referred to “400+” at the 10th IN-SPACe Industry Connect on 11 June 2026 (PIB 2271728).
Orbit III · Missions
These are ISRO's institutional achievements. The Minister's part, where the sources record one, was to announce, comment on or attend the event. Each entry is labelled accordingly.
Chandrayaan-3 made a soft landing near the lunar south pole. 23 August is now observed as National Space Day. At the first National Space Day in 2024, Dr. Jitendra Singh said an Indian would land on the Moon “in the year 2040”.
ISRO · PIB 2048125Aditya-L1 was launched on PSLV-C57 and inserted into a halo orbit around the Sun–Earth L1 point on 6 January 2024.
ISRO — Aditya-L1The Space Docking Experiment achieved docking. After the PSLV-C60 launch on 31 December 2024, the Minister called the mission “a Giant Leap”. After the docking he said: “SpaDeX has accomplished the unbelievable docking complete and it is all indigenous ‘Bharatiya Docking System’.”
PIB 2089047 · PIB 2093536After Shubhanshu Shukla's splashdown following an 18-day stay on the International Space Station, the Minister said: “One of Mother India's illustrious sons is back. India has found a lasting space in the world of space.”
PIB 2144960The NASA–ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar satellite was launched on GSLV-F16. The Minister watched the launch from the CSIR Auditorium, New Delhi, and said: “NISAR is not just a satellite; it is India's scientific handshake with the world.”
PIB 2150367In the valedictory address, the Minister proposed a “BRICS Space Economy” and released an Indian Space Industry Brochure. He said: “The future of the space economy will not be shaped by nations working in isolation.”
PIB 2277505Orbit IV · Human spaceflight
Official statements on Gaganyaan's timeline have been revised over time. They are set out here in order and are not presented as a firm schedule. The current figures are the most recent statement.
The Minister has also stated long-term goals: the Bharatiya Antariksh Station, to be operational by 2035, and an Indian on the Moon by 2040. These are stated objectives, not completed outcomes.
He said the first human spaceflight was “scheduled for the first quarter of 2027”.
He said the uncrewed G1 mission “may take place in the latter half of 2026”.
The first uncrewed mission, carrying the humanoid Vyommitra, is “targeted during the fourth quarter of 2026”, with two more uncrewed missions by 2027. “Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS) is planned to be operationalised by 2035.”
Orbit V · Applications
The Minister's documented statements on space applications refer to earth observation, communications and navigation.
NISAR, launched in July 2025, is a joint NASA–ISRO radar mission for observing Earth's surface. Satellite data also feeds India's geospatial ecosystem. See Geospatial Science.
At the Satcom summit of India Mobile Congress 2025 (8 October 2025), the Minister said satellite communication would connect rural India, and projected a space economy of about $44 billion by 2033. PIB 2176408
At the 10th IN-SPACe Industry Connect (11 June 2026), he urged industry to scale up investment in space. PIB 2271728
