NEW DELHI: The Chinese government — whose push for the space programme has seen the Chinese space agency race ahead in the past few years — has spent seven times more than what the Indian government has spent on its space programme, the Economic Survey 2019-2020 released Friday shows.
Conceding that Indias government space expenditures still lags behind that of the major players in the space sector, the survey says: “China, which has become a key player in the space sector in recent years spent about seven times more than India in 2018.” It further shows that the US spent about 13 times more than India in the same year.
While Indias Isro spent about $1.5 billion in 2018, US Nasa spent $19.5 billion and Chinas CNSA spent $11 billion (see table for more).
Stating that India has been pursuing a policy that engages the private industry more in delivering space-related goods and services, the survey notes: “…Various areas have been identified for attracting private investments including the production of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV); satellite integration and assembly; production of composite materials; production of solid, liquid, cryogenic and semi-cryogenic propellants; and production of electronic packages, testing, and evaluation for avionics and satellite subsystems.”
It added that the global space economy for 2018 tallied about $360 billion, which includes space systems manufacturing and space-based services. 
Satellite Launches
India also compares poorly in terms of the number of satellites it launched in the six years between 2013 and 2018.
While Isro, on average launched about 5-7 satellites, agencies of other countries have launched many more. For instance, in 2018, Isro launched seven satellites, while Russia, the US and China dominated the sector with 20, 31, and 39 satellites, respectively.
Further, explaining the focus areas in this sector, the survey said: “Among key areas of focus, the first area has been satellite communication, with INSAT/GSAT system as the backbone to address the needs for telecRead More – Source
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