Space Is the Next Battleground, India Must Build Capacity and Strategic Autonomy Now: Experts

As space increasingly becomes a critical arena of geopolitical competition and military strategy, leading figures from India's aerospace, defence and scientific communities have called for urgent action to strengthen the country's space infrastructure, industrial capacity and strategic autonomy.

The message emerged at the third edition of the national symposium, The Day the Sky Goes Dark: Warfare in the Age of Satellite Dependence, held at T-Hub in Hyderabad. The event brought together former chiefs of ISRO, DRDO and the Indian Air Force, alongside industry leaders, policymakers and researchers, to examine India's readiness for a future where space assets could play a decisive role in warfare.

A key theme of the discussions was that India possesses the technological expertise needed to compete globally but lacks the production scale required for the next phase of growth. Former ISRO Chairman A.S. Kiran Kumar pointed to achievements such as Chandrayaan, Mangalyaan, Aditya-L1 and Mission Shakti as evidence of India's scientific capabilities. However, he stressed that future success would depend on developing large satellite constellations, expanding launch capacity and encouraging greater participation from private industry.

Former DRDO Chairman G. Satheesh Reddy described space as the fourth dimension of warfare alongside land, sea and air. He emphasized stronger collaboration between government agencies and private companies to accelerate innovation and strengthen national security.

Industry leaders echoed similar concerns. Ananth Technologies Chairman and Managing Director Subba Rao Pavuluri noted that satellites have become indispensable components of modern military systems. He argued that while Indian companies possess the engineering talent to compete internationally, greater investment and manufacturing capacity are needed to meet the rising demand for defence-specific satellites.

Experts also highlighted rapid launch capability as a strategic necessity. Ronak Kumar Samantray, Founder and CEO of TakeMe2Space, said countries capable of launching satellites quickly and repeatedly would dominate the future space economy and security landscape.

Participants called for policy reforms, including larger procurement programmes, predictable order flows and easier access to growth capital for space startups. They warned that as military networks become increasingly dependent on space-based infrastructure, investments in cyber resilience, secure communications, advanced electronics and indigenous technologies will be essential to safeguarding India's strategic interests in the emerging space era.