Around 60 start-ups have registered with ISRO since "unlocking" of the Indian space sector by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and quite a few of them are dealing with projects related to space debris management, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Monday.
The other start-up proposals vary from nano-satellite, launch vehicles, ground systems, and research, the Minister of State for Science, Technology, and Space said.
He was speaking after inaugurating the "ISRO System for Safe & Sustainable Space Operation and Management" (IS4OM) here.
"Nearly 60 start-ups have registered themselves to work with ISRO as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's initiative of unlocking the space. This includes a start-up 'Digantara' which is working on space debris management," Singh said.
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The minister said Modi has broken "many taboos of the past" by allowing private players in unlocking the space sector through ISRO's commercial arm NewSpace India Limited.
Speaking about space debris management, Singh said, "Today, we have addressed an issue which is of great importance. It is related to space traffic management, which India has embarked on. We want a sustainable space sector."
According to him, space debris and space traffic are the areas that need focus to avoid any damage to the satellites of strategic and commercial importance.
The initiative aims at predicting the fall of debris with accuracy and sending the debris to the "graveyard" space orbit.
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"India is taking a lead by dropping cues for others to follow," Singh said.
ISRO chairman S Somanath said space debris management may involve the usage of laser and electromagnetic means to clear the debris in the future.
The initiative also encourages refueling and reusing the debris, he added.
