Aug 19: Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Noida Campus, organized a Panel Discussion on the theme,“Future of India’s Space Sector: Academia–Industry Collaboration, Innovation and Entrepreneurship”, as part of India Space Week 2026 celebration. The panel discussion brought together eminent experts from the space, defence, industry and academic sectors to deliberate on India’s evolving space ecosystem, opportunities for students and startups, and the role of research, innovation and entrepreneurship in shaping the future of the sector.
Addressing the gathering, Lt Gen A K Bhatt, Director General, Indian Space Association, averred,
“The Indian Space Ecosystem is evolving tremendously. New startups are being launched and life on the Moon and Mars is being anticipated by 2060. Students must come forward and join the space sector since it is a booming sector of the country.”
Air Vice Marshal Pawan Kumar (Retd), Former Director General, Defence Space Agency, opined,
“Industry-academia collaboration is essential for the development of the Space sector. India’s position is very strong in the Space Sector and India ranks among the top 10 countries in the world in the Space Sector. The Space Economy will be 200 billion dollars in 2040, which will be about 15% of the global space economy. There are about 400 Space startups as of today in the country. The three pillars of industry-academia collaboration are research, innovation and talent. The government is providing adequate grants and funding to space startup, thereby promoting the Space sector in a big way.”
Addressing the gathering on the occasion, Prof. (Dr.) Balvinder Shukla, Vice Chancellor, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, stated,
“Amity University is organizing various activities under the India Space Week celebrations. Amity University promotes interdisciplinary research and students of all disciplines showcased their projects in the Space Exhibition. Amity believes in providing experiential and innovative learning beyond classrooms and the ideas must be taken to the government to develop solutions for society. Amity has undertaken several initiatives under the Amity Space Mission and continues to launch new initiatives under the mission, which will contribute to the development of India’s Space Sector.”
The panel discussion was chaired and moderated by Dr. Sudheer Kumar, Vice President, XDLINX Space Labs. The esteemed panellists included Ms. Nishtha Kapoor, Senior Director – India, SAARC, Africa, Eutelsat OneWeb; Mr. Krishanu Acharya, CEO and Co-Founder, Suhora Technologies; Mr. Aakash Sinha, Founder, Omnipresent Robot Tech; Prof. (Deep Learning, Drones, Robotics), Shiv Nadar University; and Dr. Shivani Verma, Professor, AISST, Amity University and Director, Ingenious Research Solutions Pvt. Ltd.
Moderating the session, Dr. Sudheer Kumar said,
“India has done tremendously well in the Space Sector. However, one must be prepared for failure. Amity University is paying tribute to Indian Scientists who have played a major role in the development of the Space Sector.”
Sharing her views during the panel discussion, Ms. Nishtha Kapoor asserted,
“The development of the Space Sector will make India a superpower. New innovations in the area of communication and connectivity have been developed by scientists.”
Dr. Shivani Verma remarked,
“India is moving from Aatma Nirbhar Bharat to Viksit Bharat. The industry needs to help academia in developing products and technologies, since the need of the hour is to move forward from developing prototypes to real products.”
On the occasion, a Project Showcase Competition and Space Science Exhibition was also organized, wherein students showcased innovative projects across diverse areas of the space sector. The projects covered Satellite and Space Communication Systems; AI, Robotics and Autonomous Systems; Aerospace Technologies; Innovations in other Emerging Areas; Conceptual Design Innovations; Space Entrepreneurship and Future Missions; and Product Innovation and Entrepreneurship.