HYDERABAD: As space rapidly emerges as the newest arena of geopolitical competition and military strategy, some of India’s foremost aerospace and defence leaders have delivered a clear message: the country already possesses the technological capability to compete globally, but must urgently build scale, capacity and private-sector strength to secure its place in the emerging space age.
The call came 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 on Saturday. Former chiefs of ISRO, DRDO and the Indian Air Force joined industry leaders and policymakers to discuss India’s preparedness for a future where space assets could determine the outcome of conflicts.
A question posed by symposium founder Girish Mallpani — “Why can’t India build its own Starlink?” — sparked a wide-ranging discussion on satellite infrastructure, launch capabilities and strategic self-reliance. Participants agreed that India faces not a technology deficit but a capacity challenge.
Former ISRO chairman AS Kiran Kumar said India’s achievements, including Chandrayaan, Mangalyaan, Aditya-L1 and Mission Shakti, have demonstrated its scientific prowess. However, he said the next phase of growth would require large satellite constellations, a stronger launch ecosystem and deeper private-sector participation. “India has the capability. The challenge now is capacity. We need not just satellites but constellations; not just launches but a launch pipeline,” he said.
Former DRDO chairman G Satheesh Reddy observed that space has evolved into the fourth dimension of warfare alongside land, sea and air. He stressed the need for stronger collaboration between government institutions and private industry to accelerate innovation and bolster strategic capabilities.
Ananth Technologies Chairman and Managing Director Subba Rao Pavuluri said satellites are no longer niche technological assets but critical components of modern weapon systems.
He argued that Indian industry already possesses the engineering talent and manufacturing expertise needed to compete globally, but requires greater investment and production capacity.
“The demand for defence-specific satellites is growing rapidly and Indian industry must step forward to build the required capacity,” he said. “Producing more indigenous satellites is critical to strengthening India’s defence preparedness, strategic autonomy and national security.”
Highlighting the importance of launch capability, TakeMe2Space founder and CEO Ronak Kumar Samantray said future leadership in space would belong to countries capable of launching satellites rapidly, repeatedly and at scale. “We need more rockets,” he remarked, underscoring launch frequency as a strategic advantage.
Former Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari said information superiority is becoming a decisive factor in modern warfare. In future conflicts, he noted, the ability to quickly restore disrupted satellite services may prove more important than the size of a country’s satellite fleet.
‘Reforms required in India’
The symposium also focused on policy reforms. Speakers pointed out that nearly 90% of defence and civilian space procurement in the US and Europe is routed through private industry. Similar reforms, they argued, are needed in India through larger procurement programmes, predictable order flows and easier access to growth capital for emerging space and defence firms.
Participants warned that India’s defence architecture is becoming increasingly dependent on space-based infrastructure. Future military networks, they said, will integrate terrestrial and non-terrestrial systems, making investments in cyber capabilities, electromagnetic warfare, resilient communications networks, smart satellites and secure data centres essential.
They also stressed that genuine strategic autonomy would require India to gain greater control over foundational technologies such as power systems, advanced materials and electronics — the critical building blocks of national security in the space era.
Among the attendees was 13-year-old Iniya Pragati Martian, India’s youngest analogue astronaut and a commercial astronaut candidate, who interacted with the panellists. More than 100 invitees from the defence, aerospace, startup, academic, research and public policy sectors attended the event.
The symposium also saw the submission of a white paper from the previous edition by Girish Mallpani and symposium CEO Asha Vashist to Special Chief Secretary Jayesh Ranjan, reflecting the organisers’ effort to translate strategic discussions into actionable policy recommendations.