India’s private space sector is expanding rapidly, with Washington promoting closer US-India cooperation as India targets a 10% share of the global space market, driven by policy reforms, private investment, and strategic partnerships.
India’s private space industry is gaining momentum as Washington sees the sector as one of the most promising areas for US-India commercial cooperation. The US Department of Commerce said India’s share of the global space market could climb from less than 2% today to 10% within five to seven years, helped by policy changes, private investment and deeper ties with American firms.
The department’s International Trade Administration said in its August Aerospace and Defence Exporter Alert that India’s space industry is expanding quickly and that government steps towards privatisation should open the door wider for international companies. It highlighted opportunities in satellite systems, advanced spaceflight, communications, manufacturing and other related technologies.
India’s ambitions are not new. According to Business Standard, Indian Space Research Organisation chairman V. Narayanan has said the country aims to capture 8% to 10% of the global commercial space market over the next decade, up from a current share of less than 2%. That target will depend on stronger infrastructure, more industry-led development and much larger manufacturing capacity. The report also said India’s commercial profile has been helped by the OneWeb India mission.
The United States has been working to convert that promise into business. The Commerce Department said the two countries have cooperated in space since India’s first rocket launch in 1963, and that the relationship has widened through joint working groups, scientific exchanges and collaborative projects. It said NASA and US companies have provided technology and components to ISRO, while Indian startups are increasingly looking to expand in the United States.
The department also pointed to the TRUST initiative, launched in 2025, and to the US-India Civil Space Joint Working Group, which is meant to remove obstacles around market access, procurement, foreign investment and export controls. A White House statement in February 2025 said the TRUST programme was designed to reduce barriers to technology transfer and promote high-tech commerce, including in space. Carnegie Endowment has said the initiative also supports cooperation on missions such as NISAR and plans to send the first Indian astronaut to the International Space Station.
With that backdrop, the Commerce Department urged American firms considering India to attend the Bengaluru Space Expo from September 7 to 9, describing it as a chance for companies and policymakers to compare notes and strike partnerships. The department said a US commercial space mission to Bengaluru in February 2026 was successful, underscoring how quickly the relationship is moving from policy to practice.
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