NEW DELHI: India's emerging private space sector has presented a wishlist of tax incentives and a production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme in the forthcoming Union Budget to boost local manufacturing and spur research and development.

Awais Ahmed, co-founder of Bangalore-based Pixxel, a space firm, said, "We would want to request a space-based production linked incentive (PLI) plan for space tech entrepreneurs in the 2023–24 budget to help increase local manufacturing and foster capability creation within the country."

The first Indian firm, Pixxel, launched its own hyperspectral imaging satellite, "Shakuntala," onboard a SpaceX rideshare rocket last year. It then followed that up with another satellite of a similar design, "Anand," using an ISRO PSLV rocket. It intends to soon establish a network of satellites for earth observation.

 Kranthi Chand, the head of strategy and special projects, DhruvaSpace, said "We request a further Rs.100 crore issuance as viability gap funding (VGF) to set up new facilities in the Budget 2023–24."

The Hyderabad-based startup DhruvaSpace also launched two satellites in November aboard the PSLV rocket and intends to establish a satellite manufacturing facility for a variety of uses.

Chand further requests that the government set aside Rs.1,000 crore specifically for the Defence Space Agency (DSA) to purchase innovative technology from the market. He mentioned that the Ministry of Defence and Services headquarters has granted various satellite and space technology projects an acceptance of necessity (AoN).

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