SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk is scheduled to visit India next week to meet with Indian space companies. According to a report by Bloomberg, these space technology startups include Skyroute Aerospace, Agnikle Cosmos, and others, as they have already received a date-saving request from the New Delhi government for Musk’s inauguration date of April 22nd. This would include Bellatrix Aerospace and Dhruva Space. to come to India. The visit is expected to last approximately 48 hours.
Musk is expected to be interested in these companies because he considers the potential of India, which last year became the first country in the world to land on the moon’s south pole, in this field. India is also planning its first manned space mission in 2025. In addition to this, Prime Minister Modi also made several policy changes to encourage private companies to invest in the space industry. He also called for foreign investment in rocket and satellite manufacturing.
Rumors that Musk will meet with space technology companies in India come at a time when SpaceX’s Starlink is expected to enter the Indian market along with Tesla. Notably, Starlink has already set up a unit in India in 2021, but is awaiting government approval to launch services.
Musk’s visit could also pave the way for SpaceX’s Starlink and Tesla Inc. to enter the world’s most populous country. Musk said last year that Tesla was likely to invest heavily in India as the government seeks to attract foreign EV brands. Starlink set up a wholly owned unit in India in 2021, but is awaiting government approval to begin services.
According to an IANS report, SpaceX has received provisional approval from the Ministry of Communications. However, Communications Minister Ashwini Vaishnau is yet to give a final nod after getting permission from the Home Ministry on several security issues.
SpaceX will reportedly apply for a Global Mobile Personal Communications By Satellite (GMPCS) service license from Indian authorities “soon.” Bharti Group-backed OneWeb and Reliance Jio’s satellite arm have already applied for permission.
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