Dr Jitendra Singh reviews plan to set up Space laboratories in Universities and Colleges across India; with seven such labs to be established in the first phase

• Initiative: Department of Space (DoS) plan to establish Space laboratories in universities & colleges, with 7 labs in Phase-I, providing hands-on exposure in satellite systems, rocketry and mission design.
• Part of post-2020 space-sector reforms that opened up the sector to non-government entities and created IN-SPACe as the single-window regulator-promoter.
• Aim: build a skilled talent pipeline for an ecosystem that now houses 400+ space startups and has drawn >USD 600 million in private investment.
• UPSC relevance: intersects GS-III (Science & Tech, Space) and GS-II (Government policies, institutions).