Union Science and Technology Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh on Wednesday, 24 June 2026, addressed the BRICS 2026 Heads of Space Agencies (HOSA) meeting in Bengaluru, calling on member nations to collectively build a 'BRICS Space Economy' as the next frontier of global growth. The meeting was attended by heads of space agencies and senior officials from Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates and India (ISRO).

Context

Speaking at the high-level gathering, Dr. Singh declared: 'It's time to pitch the BRICS Space Economy as the next frontier of global growth through collective action among the BRICS member nations to unlock new opportunities in innovation, investment, entrepreneurship and sustainable development.' He argued that BRICS countries collectively possess the scale, scientific capabilities, technological strengths and industrial capacity to emerge as a major force in the rapidly expanding global space economy.

The minister also highlighted the BRICS Remote Sensing Satellite Constellation, describing it as having 'already demonstrated the value of collaborative space applications through satellite data sharing among member countries.' He underscored that the future of the space economy 'will not be shaped by nations working in isolation' but by 'partnerships, shared innovation and collective ambition.'

Policy Backdrop

India liberalised its space sector in 2020 under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, allowing private companies to undertake end-to-end space activities and establishing IN-SPACe as a single-window regulator. NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), incorporated in 2019, was tasked with commercialising ISRO technologies and facilitating industry participation.

Dr. Singh explicitly credited PM Modi's reforms, stating that 'a series of transformative reforms have opened unprecedented opportunities for private industry, startups, academia and global partnerships, thus making India one of the world's most dynamic and rapidly expanding space ecosystems.' This domestic liberalisation now forms the template India is projecting onto the BRICS multilateral stage.

The BRICS grouping itself has expanded beyond its original five members — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the UAE, significantly enlarging the combined scientific and industrial base available for space cooperation.

Stakeholders and Impact

The push for a BRICS Space Economy has direct implications for Indian space startups and private industry, which have grown rapidly under the post-2020 regulatory framework. A multilateral BRICS platform could open new export markets, joint-venture opportunities and shared infrastructure for these firms.

For the broader grouping, the proposal mirrors wider efforts by emerging economies to build alternative technology supply chains in a domain currently dominated by NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and large commercial American firms. Pooling remote-sensing data and satellite capabilities across ten nations could reduce individual member states' dependence on proprietary Western platforms.

Academia and research institutions across BRICS nations stand to benefit from enhanced data-sharing arrangements, particularly for applications such as disaster management, agriculture monitoring and climate observation — areas where the Remote Sensing Satellite Constellation has already shown early results.

What's Next

The HOSA meeting is expected to feed into broader BRICS 2026 deliberations on science and technology cooperation. Observers will watch for follow-up technical meetings on expanding the constellation's coverage and any new IN-SPACe authorisations for private Indian missions that could serve as demonstration cases for the BRICS partnership model.

If the 'BRICS Space Economy' framework gains traction, it could reshape investment flows and innovation partnerships across the ten-nation bloc, positioning the grouping as a credible counterweight to existing Western-led space commerce ecosystems.