INSPACe plans 7 space labs at higher education institutions across country

INSPACe plans to establish 'Antariksh Prayogshala' space labs at seven Indian academic institutions, providing hands-on training in space technology, fostering industry-academia collaboration, and preparing skilled talent to support India’s growing space economy projected to reach $44 billion by 2033

New Delhi: In a bid to bolster the space technology ecosystem, India’s space sector promoter INSPACe has floated a proposal to set up ‘Antariksh Prayogshala’ at seven institutes across the country.

The ‘Antariksh Prayogshala’ is billed as a first-of-its-kind initiative aimed at creating state-of-the-art space laboratories within Indian academic institutions to provide hands-on training and exposure to students pursuing space tech courses.

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The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (INSPACe) has rolled out a Request for Proposal (RfP) to establish Antariksh Prayogshala (space labs) at select academic institutions across India.

Several higher education institutions have started offering space technology courses and such space labs will allow students to receive practical training and help provide talent for the private space sector taking root in the country.

This initiative is intended to enable meaningful industry-academia collaboration, and support India’s long-term vision of becoming a leading global space economy, said Vinod Kumar, Director, Promotion Directorate, INSPACe.

Under the scheme, up to seven academic institutions will be selected in a phased manner from seven different zones across the country.

INSPACe will provide financial support of up to 75 per cent of the total project cost, with a cap of Rs 5 crore per institution, to be released on a milestone-linked basis.

According to the RfP issued by INSPACe, institutions that are at least five years old, have an NIRF ranking under 200, and a course in space technology will be eligible to apply for setting up the space lab.

Kumar said by creating shared spaces for students, researchers, and industry, these labs will enable applied research, early-stage innovation, and skill development aligned with real industry needs.

“This is a practical step towards building depth, scale, and sustainability in India’s space ecosystem,” he said.

The institutions are expected to encourage industry collaboration for technology development projects.

India’s space economy, currently at USD 8 billion, is expected to rise to US$ 44 billion by 2033 and would require trained manpower to fuel this growth.