Space job news: India's space industry is undergoing significant changes, with an increasing presence of private startups contributing to its growth. The government anticipates a boom in the sector, estimating it will reach $100 billion by 2040. H...
India’s expanding space ambitions need a skilled workforce to support the sector’s growth
For nearly six decades, India’s space programme was shaped largely by government-led efforts under the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). That is beginning to change. Alongside ISRO, around 440 registered space startups are now building rockets, satellites and other space technologies, taking on a growing role in the country’s space ambitions.
But as the space sector expands, companies are finding it increasingly difficult to recruit people with specialised skills in areas such as propulsion, avionics, satellite systems, radar, autonomous technologies and certification.
India’s space boom
A growing group of rocket, satellite and surveillance startups is emerging at the heart of an industry that the government expects to grow to $44 billion by 2033 and $100 billion by 2040, accounting for nearly 10% of the global space economy, according to a Department of Space (DoS) statement.
Since opening the sector to private players in 2020, private investment in India's space sector has surged nearly six-fold, rising from $100.5 million in 2021–22 to $618.5 million by March 31, 2026, with $187 million recorded so far in 2026, according to data shared by the Press Information Bureau.
One of the biggest feats achieved by the private sector came in July 2026, when Skyroot Aerospace, India’s first space-tech unicorn with a $1.1 billion valuation, launched its Vikram-1 rocket from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
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Sreeram Ananthasayanam, Partner, Deloitte India, told ET Online that Indian space companies will need to compete on factors beyond cost, with international customers likely to prioritise reliability, recognised quality standards, financial stability, timely delivery and long-term mission support. “The export ambition of $11 billion by 2033 will be met only if Indian companies become trusted participants in global value chains. Startup numbers are therefore an early indicator, not the final measure.”
Private players take on bigger role
Apart from the growing number of startups, Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACE), the space regulator and promoter under DoS, has begun the process of seeking a private-sector entity to operate and manage ISRO’s Rs 986-crore Small Satellite Launch Complex (SLC) at Kulasekarapattinam in Tamil Nadu, the Times of India reported.
IN-SPACe has invited expressions of interest from eligible Indian entities to run the new launch complex, which is being developed primarily to support small rocket launches. The SLC is part of the new spaceport being built by ISRO at Kulasekarapattinam (Tamil Nadu), India's second launch site.
However, as responsibilities shift, nine employee bodies representing staff across ISRO centres have formally raised concerns over the direction and rationale of the transition.
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Reacting to the concerns, ISRO clarified that there is no move to privatise the space agency or diminish its role amid ongoing space-sector reforms, calling such reports and speculation "baseless and incorrect".
“ISRO will continue to remain India’s principal institution for advanced space research and technology development, national and strategic missions, space science and exploration, and critical and frontier space capabilities,” the official statement read.
However, while ISRO remains the nation’s core space agency, the rapid growth in private-sector space ventures is increasing demand for specialised talent, making a skilled workforce essential to the sector’s expansion.
“The major challenge is not the number of graduates but their limited exposure to real-world spacecraft, launch-vehicle, testing, manufacturing and mission environments. Existing training initiatives need to expand substantially if they are to support a potential 200,000-plus employment requirement across the wider space ecosystem,” Lt Gen AK Bhatt (retd), Director General of the Indian Space Association (ISpA), the apex industry body representing India’s private space sector, told ET Online.
How big is the skill gap?
To match the sector’s growing ambitions, the spotlight is on India's biggest asset—its talent pool—and whether enough workers can be trained in the specialised skills the industry increasingly needs.
“Engineers in critical areas such as radar, propulsion, quantum and certification together account for less than 5% of the defence-tech talent pool. Even within India’s estimated 800,000 AI talent pool, only around 20,000–25,000 engineers are considered deployable for defence and space applications,” Kapil Joshi, CEO of IT Staffing at Quess Corp said.
According to data shared by Quess Corp with ET Online, there is a 20–25% shortfall in flight mechanics and stress analysis, while 40–45% of UAV and robotics roles could remain unfilled without targeted reskilling. Between 2025 and 2030, the demand-supply gap is estimated at 35% for emerging technologies such as autonomous systems, edge AI, quantum and hypersonics, followed by 30% for systems integration and certification and 25% for avionics, RF/radar and flight mechanics.
“India may need to add 20,000+ defence- and space-ready engineers over the next five years, while niche capabilities such as quantum, hypersonics and certification may need to scale by 5–6 times by 2030,” said Joshi.
Neeti Sharma, CEO at TeamLease Digital, said that niche roles such as avionics, cryogenics, attitude determination and control systems, and remote sensing can command 22-30% higher salaries than comparable technical roles. The premium is essentially a supply-demand issue. “There are very few people with the right combination of specialised skills and practical experience, while the number of companies looking for them is growing rapidly. As the sector scales, the pressure on both salaries and the talent pipeline is likely to increase,” said Sharma.
Talking about hiring in the sector, Sanjay Kumar, Cofounder of startup EON Space Labs told ET Online that the challenge is not the absence of engineering talent in India. The gap is in hands-on experience in building novel indigenous systems that India has long relied on importing, requiring the development of cross-functional and specialised skill sets.
Punit Badeka, Cofounder at EON Space Labs, said the company has seen an influx of women engineers and that the talent pool is highly underutilised. “The hiring strategy has proved extremely rewarding since many of the subsystems have been made possible through their contributions. Many of our women engineers are directly involved in developing and validating critical subsystems across our ongoing space and defence programmes.”
The need for workers is not just limited in the private sector. An analysis of the DoS employment data by TOI shows that nearly three out of every 10 sanctioned posts by the government remained vacant at the end of 2025-26, marking the widest staffing gap in at least 25 years. Of the DoS’ sanctioned strength of 20,269 posts, only 14,637 were filled, leaving 5,632 vacancies and an overall staffing level of 72.2%.
The current workforce is also smaller than it was over two decades ago. In 2001-02, the DoS had 14,847 employees against a sanctioned strength of 16,423 posts, resulting in a vacancy rate of less than 10%.
To meet its requirements, Saurav Jha, Founder of Indian aerospace startup D-Propulse told ET Online that they have created a “hardware-first culture” within their organisation. “That is perhaps why we prototype rapidly and have iterated designs towards the end goal. In the domain of aero-propulsion there is no substitute to 'standing there' at the test facility and soaking in all that goes into making an engine work.”
Building the talent pipeline
To meet the growing demands, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), along with IN-SPACe, have launched a SpaceTech minor course to introduce space-specific learning into mainstream technical education and build an early talent pipeline for the sector, according to the official website.
“Going forward, there is also an opportunity to explore the development of dedicated space universities under the aegis of ISRO, which could serve as centres of advanced learning, research, global collaboration and knowledge transfer for the evolving space ecosystem,” said Bhatt.
Industry stakeholders say that India needs mission-based learning, stronger industry-academia links, structured internships and more space-focused programmes to bridge the skills gap.
According to Deloitte’s Ananthasayanam, the biggest shift should be from subject-based teaching to mission-based learning. “Industry engagement should be more substantial than an occasional guest lecture or plant visit. Short faculty placements in companies, ISRO centres and testing facilities could also help teachers stay close to current practice.”
“The government should introduce more space-focused programmes. It can also facilitate structured internship programmes through organisations such as IN-SPACe, where registered space companies can list internship opportunities and students can apply based on their skills and interests. In addition, conducting space-focused hackathons and offering scholarships, fellowships, and other incentives can help encourage more students to pursue careers in the space sector,” said Rupesh Kumar, CTO & Co-founder, Suhora Technologies, one of the 20 Space Startups that recently met Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently to discuss the future of space-tech industry.
Beyond talent, ISpA’s Bhatt said patient capital, specialised testing and manufacturing facilities, and reliable access to space-grade components remain key challenges for startups as they scale from prototypes to commercial operations.
