India seeks greater role in global international space industry norms

India is seeking a larger role in shaping international norms for the fast-growing space industry, a senior Government official said on Friday, as global space standards experts gathered in New Delhi for a key ISO meeting.

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) organised the 35th Plenary and Working Groups meetings of ISO’s Technical Committee 20/Subcommittee 14 on Space Systems and Operations, drawing 131 international delegates from 13 countries, including representatives from national standards bodies, space agencies, industry and academia.

In the opening session, Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare said India stood “at the forefront of global space transformation”, citing policy reforms and the creation of IN-SPACe, a Government body set up to promote private sector participation in the country’s space sector, an official statement said.

BIS Director General Sanjay Garg said the organisation was working to align Indian standards with international frameworks, adding that the New Delhi venue gave domestic experts direct access to the global standardisation process. IN-SPACe Chairman Pawan Goenka stressed that robust standards were critical to enabling innovation and integrating India into the global space economy. The subcommittee develops international standards covering the full lifecycle of space systems, from design and production through launch and operations, with a focus on safety, interoperability and sustainability.

The meeting also addressed emerging priorities such as space debris mitigation and long-term sustainability of orbital operations, areas where India has sought a more active international role alongside the achievements of state-run ISRO and a growing private industry.