Govt allocates Rs 13,705 crore for Department of Space

The increase in ISROs allocation is an important signal that will help support deeper private sector participation in ISRO-led programmes across launch vehicles, satellites and scientific missions, Lt Gen A K Bhatt retd, Indian Space Association Director General, said.

ISRO's plans to build new rockets to achieve the ambition of its own space station and human spaceflights got a boost on Sunday with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman allocating Rs 13,705.60 crore for the Department of Space. The allocation in the Union Budget for 2026-27 is a marginal increase over the budgetary estimate of Rs 13,416 crore for the current fiscal. The Department of Space actually received Rs 12,448.60 crore as per the revised estimates for 2025-26. In the budget for 2026-27, the allocation of Rs 10,397.06 crore has been made under the head 'space technology' which includes support for the activities of various ISRO centres including Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre, ISRO Propulsion Complex, and UR Rao Satellite Centre. The support covers various space technology projects consisting of Launch Vehicle Projects and Satellite Projects, including developmental and operational projects, and IN-SPACe schemes. Of the total outlay, Rs 7,329.70 crore is revenue expenditure while Rs 6,375.90 crore is capital spending, a jump of nearly Rs 1,066 crore over last year's revised capital plan. ISRO plans to carry out uncrewed flights of the Gaganyaan mission this year and is also developing the Next Generation Launch Vehicle to launch heavier payloads in orbit. ''The increase in ISRO's allocation is an important signal that will help support deeper private sector participation in ISRO-led programmes across launch vehicles, satellites and scientific missions,'' Lt Gen A K Bhatt (retd), Indian Space Association Director General, said. Satcom Industry Association-India President Subba Rao Pavuluri said some industry priorities, including targeted incentives for space manufacturing, GST rationalisation, a hybrid PLI (production-linked incentive) for space, and formal recognition of space as critical infrastructure, are still awaited. ''The Union Budget 2026 continues to strengthen the foundations required for sustained economic growth. With wide-ranging reforms across sectors, the focus on manufacturing with a boost to creating champion MSMEs, and infrastructure reflects an understanding that scale and resilience are built through stable policy and institutional support,'' Pawan Kumar Goenka, Chairman of Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe), said.

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