The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre has granted Starlink a licence to launch commercial operations in the country, bringing an end to an almost three-year-long process for the space company.
SpaceX first applied to Indian officials back in 2022 to start Starlink operations in the country. However, the American company faced hurdle after hurdle in starting operations and only began to gain momentum over the past few months.
Last month, India’s telecom ministry gave the green light to launch operations, and this latest approval by the space regulator will finally allow SpaceX to launch in the coming months if all goes to plan.
The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre confirmed to Reuters that the Starlink licence is valid for five years and may be renewed.
Although this is good news, it does not mean that Starlink can launch immediately. Instead, SpaceX will need to secure spectrum from the Indian government, which the government will assign, set up the necessary ground infrastructure in the country and demonstrate to officials that it can meet the security rules through testing and trials.
SpaceX does have some competition for services, with Eutelsat’s OneWeb and Reliance Jio already receiving similar approvals and already operating in the country. According to Tice News, Starlink’s cost in India will be approximately 30,000 to 33,000 Rupees ($478-$526 CAD) for the terminal kit and around 3,000 Rupees ($47 CAD) per month for services.
