Space has moved from being a supporting tool for national security to the decisive domain that will shape the outcome of future wars, according to Defence Research and Development Organisation Chairman Samir V Kamat.
Speaking at the 4th Indian DefSpace Symposium at the Manekshaw Centre, he emphasised that India must adopt a “whole-of-nation” approach to close the capability gap with rivals whose space programmes are advancing rapidly. He warned that catching up would be a Herculean challenge without greater investment and collaboration.
Kamat explained that while ISRO continues to lead India’s civilian space program, DRDO has been tasked with military aspects following the creation of the Defence Space Agency. Though this responsibility is currently a small part of DRDO’s mandate, it is expanding quickly and must grow further if India is to keep pace with competitors.
To bridge the gap, DRDO is pursuing a collaborative model involving start-ups, MSMEs, and academia. Centres of Excellence have already been established, with space identified as a priority domain, and Kamat noted strong interest from academia and start-ups in contributing to defence-related space initiatives.
He underlined that while some technologies can still be imported, several critical areas remain restricted and demand indigenous development. DRDO’s current priorities include space situational awareness to safeguard India’s assets, restricted NAVIC services for military operations, space-based surveillance, imaging radar, and early missile launch detection systems. Civil-military fusion will be vital, particularly in dual-use technologies such as imaging radar.
Kamat highlighted India’s inadequate investment in research and development, pointing out that the nation spends only 0.65% of GDP on R&D, with defence allocating just 5% of its budget to this area. He stressed the need to scale up significantly to match rivals.
Encouragingly, he noted that the Raksha Mantri has committed to doubling defence R&D spending to 10% of the overall defence budget within five years, which he believes will unlock resources for government institutions, start-ups, and MSMEs alike.
The overarching goal, Kamat said, is to build sovereign capabilities in critical space technologies that cannot be imported and to ensure India’s space-based assets remain secure and operational in contested environments.
He concluded by stressing that this ambition cannot be achieved by DRDO alone and will require coordinated efforts across government, industry, and academia.
ANI
