Counsel for operators, manufacturers, investors and downstream users across the Indian space sector, from IN-SPACe authorisation and mission contracts to spectrum, investment, liability and export control.
A dedicated space statute is still in draft. Missions currently run on the Indian Space Policy 2023, IN-SPACe norms and the general law, read together.
India has opened its space sector to private and foreign participation, but the legal framework is still taking shape. A dedicated space statute remains in draft, so a space engagement runs on the Indian Space Policy 2023, the norms issued by IN-SPACe, the spectrum, remote-sensing and geospatial rules, and the general law of contract, investment and export control, read together.
AMLEGALS advises operators, manufacturers, investors and downstream users across that framework, from securing authorisation to contracting a mission, structuring investment and allocating the liability that space activity carries.
A space matter is organised around the workstreams that a mission or a space business actually needs.
Authorisation of space activity by IN-SPACe under the Indian Space Policy 2023, and engagement with the Department of Space, ISRO and NSIL.
Launch services, satellite procurement, hosted payload, ground segment, operations and data-supply agreements with flow-down of mission risk.
Spectrum authorisation through the Wireless Planning and Coordination wing and orbital and frequency coordination through the ITU process.
Structuring foreign investment into space businesses under the amended FDI framework for satellites, launch and components.
Allocation of liability, indemnity and insurance against India's obligations under the Outer Space Treaty and the Liability Convention.
Classification and licensing of space technology and dual-use items under the SCOMET control list.
Private space activity in India is authorised and supervised by IN-SPACe, the single-window body created under the Indian Space Policy 2023, working with the Department of Space, ISRO and NewSpace India Limited. The first step in any engagement is to map the mission to the authorisations it requires and to the conditions those authorisations impose.
Because the operative rules are policy and guidance rather than a single statute, advice distinguishes clearly between what is binding, what is administrative practice and what is still proposed, so that a client does not build a mission on a framework that has not yet been enacted.
The commercial life of a mission runs on contracts: launch services, satellite procurement, hosted payloads, ground segment and operations, and the licensing of data and imagery. Each has to carry the technical specification accurately and allocate the risks that are specific to space, launch failure, in-orbit loss, delay, and the consequences of a total or partial mission failure.
Critically, the state-level liability that India carries internationally has to flow down through these contracts by way of indemnity and insurance obligations, so that responsibility sits where it can be managed.
A satellite service needs spectrum authorised domestically through the Wireless Planning and Coordination wing and orbital and frequency assignments coordinated internationally through the ITU process. Both have to be secured, and the timelines for each are built into the mission plan.
On the capital side, the 2024 liberalisation of foreign direct investment in the space sector allows investment across satellites, launch and components up to defined thresholds through the automatic or government route. Each investment is mapped to the correct activity and threshold and structured for foreign exchange compliance.
Under the Outer Space Treaty 1967 and the Liability Convention 1972, the launching State bears international liability for national space activity, including that of private operators. That liability is managed through the authorisation conditions and through indemnity and insurance in the mission contracts, which makes the liability and insurance structure a central part of the engagement rather than a closing formality.
Space technology and many components are dual-use and fall within the SCOMET control list. Transfers of technology, equipment and, in some cases, data are classified and, where controlled, licensed, and this is built into procurement and collaboration arrangements from the start.
The following official sources support the legal positions summarised on this page and should be consulted for the current statutory text, procedure and notifications.
Content reviewed by the AMLEGALS Regulatory, Technology and Dispute Resolution team. Law reviewed as of: 21 July 2026. This page is general information about legal processes in India and is not legal advice. A formal opinion requires review of the specific facts and documents.
Short, direct, on the record.
The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre, IN-SPACe, is the single-window body that authorises and supervises space activity by non-governmental entities under the Indian Space Policy 2023. It works alongside the Department of Space, ISRO as the research and development agency, and NewSpace India Limited as the commercial arm. An engagement begins by identifying which authorisations a given mission or service requires.
Not yet. A dedicated space statute has been in draft but is not in force. The operative framework is therefore the Indian Space Policy 2023, the norms, guidelines and procedures issued by IN-SPACe, the applicable spectrum, remote-sensing and geospatial rules, and the general law of contract, company, foreign investment and export control. Advice states clearly what is binding, what is policy or guidance, and what is proposed.
Spectrum for satellite communications is authorised domestically through the Wireless Planning and Coordination wing of the Department of Telecommunications, and the associated orbital slot and frequency assignments are coordinated internationally through the International Telecommunication Union filing process. The two processes run in parallel and both have to be secured for a viable service.
Yes. The foreign direct investment framework for the space sector was liberalised in 2024 to permit foreign investment, up to defined thresholds and through the automatic or government route depending on the activity, across satellites, launch and associated systems and components. Each investment has to be mapped to the correct activity and threshold and structured for compliance with the foreign exchange framework.
Under the Outer Space Treaty 1967 and the Liability Convention 1972, the launching State bears international responsibility and liability for national space activity, including activity by non-governmental entities. In practice this state-level liability is passed down to operators through the authorisation conditions and through indemnity and insurance obligations in the mission contracts, which is why the allocation of liability and the insurance structure are central to any space engagement.
Yes. Space technology and many associated components are dual-use and fall within the Special Chemicals, Organisms, Materials, Equipment and Technologies control list. Transfers of technology, equipment and, in some cases, data require classification and, where controlled, licensing, and this has to be built into procurement, collaboration and transfer-of-technology arrangements from the outset.
Share the mission, the authorisation position or the contract in question for a confidential preliminary scope discussion.