The Budget has brought some joy to the research community in India, especially to those involved in astronomy and space research, as it has allocated Rs 13,416.20 crore to the Ministry of Space for 2026-27.
Much of the allocation has been allocated to deep space exploration and astrophysics, including the construction of two advanced telescope facilities: the 13.7-metre National Large Infrared Optical Telescope and the National Large Solar Telescope near Pangong Lake in Ladakh.
Focus is also on the COSMOS-2 planetarium in Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh, which is scheduled to be completed soon, and improving the control systems of the Chandra Himalaya Telescope in Hanle, Ladakh. Currently, only the United States, China, Japan, and the European Union prioritize astronomy research to a high degree and consistently invest large sums of money to develop their ground-based and space-based telescopes. Therefore, astronomers said the telescope allocations will improve space research capacity and science communication in India.
Frontier research
However, experts also expressed concerns about the significant decline in expenditures, as actual expenditures became lower than budget estimates. This underutilization has in the past led to bottlenecks in the planning and implementation of major projects.
“There were many space missions proposed that were ultimately not supported,” said Bhaswati Mukherjea, professor and head of the department of astronomy and astrophysics at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai.
Dr Mukherjea added that while this budget “represents a very positive step for astronomy in India”, the importance of pursuing it cannot be overstated: “Implementing large projects in India will still require some streamlining of resources with checks and balances.”
Only a few large astronomical observatories are able to perform frontier research and pioneer discoveries around the world, which means researchers have to compete for observation time. When funding agencies favor their own national researchers, the access of international scholars becomes increasingly restricted, and Indians are no exception.
Reliance on external facilities
To make matters worse, an astrophysicist (who did not wish to reveal his identity) told this correspondent that India’s problem is exacerbated by the attitude of bureaucrats and administrators.
“They are like-minded on concepts such as buying part-time on telescopes or large missions – measures that are not only necessary to foster stronger international cooperation and keep us at the forefront of astronomy research, but also serve as a temporary arrangement until we have our own large telescopes,” the astrophysicist said.
For too long the country has relied on offshore facilities for high-resolution data and specialized equipment to do space science, including collaborative projects such as radio, optical and space-based observations. Therefore, acquiring strong indigenous capabilities in space sciences and astrophysics is imperative if India is to reduce its dependence on foreign observatories.
Steady enhancement
However, building large-scale, next-generation observatories for cutting-edge space research involves overcoming enormous financial and technological hurdles. These challenges often require collaborative partnerships with international teams, and pooling resources and expertise with them is often the only way for Indian scientists to engage in ambitious projects. Adequate funding, effective governance, and partnership with local industry offer a realistic solution to eliminating this dependence on foreign facilities and research data.
Fortunately, India’s astronomy and space research ecosystem is steadily strengthening with the addition of cutting-edge technology platforms. These include optical and radio telescopes, such as the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) near Pune, and data processing centers capable of AI-based data analysis. These efforts, along with the new budget push, could strengthen India’s research capabilities, with the growing shift toward public-private partnerships in space research adding to optimism.
“Basic science and big-budget trials around the world require funding from state agencies,” Dr. Mukherjea said. “Although there are many private companies in the space sector, proper direction of their efforts and overall quality control and oversight requires the establishment of statutory bodies that include government agencies.”
“In the last decade or so, we have witnessed many start-ups in the space sector, often working in close collaboration with Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) experts,” said Abhimanyu Susubhanan, assistant professor of physics at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Thiruvananthapuram. “The Ministry of Space established the Indian National Space Promotion and Licensing Center in 2020 to promote such partnerships. This is a positive sign as such partnerships will foster innovation and attract private investment in the space sector.”
The sky is sub-millimeter
But for this to happen, policymakers must recognize “the necessity of allocating strategic resources and collaborative initiatives to maximize scientific production from the country’s astronomical assets.” But he warned: “We must also keep in mind that private interests may not always align with the interests of the nation as a whole.”
An important positive aspect of developing locally cutting-edge resources in space science is that it will encourage students to engage in advanced research in the country, halting the ongoing brain drain to institutions abroad. But that’s easier said than done, as there’s still a lot of homework required before it becomes a reality. For example, the GMRT is the world’s largest array of low-frequency radio telescopes and attracts astronomers from around the world. But in the absence of a similar optical telescope in the country, Indian scientists are forced to queue for a telescope at foreign facilities, as they do when conducting research in high-frequency radio astronomy.
Likewise, India does not have any telescope operating at critical sub-millimeter wavelengths.
“The sub-millimeter sky is a unique window into exploring the structure of the universe and the structures within it, from dusty sub-millimeter galaxies to the ring-shaped nature of protostellar disks,” Dr Mukherjea said. “There is a proposal in the works that is also part of the huge scientific vision for Astronomy and Astrophysics 2035.”
Only when such projects are realised, can India’s path towards becoming a leader in space exploration accelerate.
Prakash Chandra is a science writer.
Note: At 4.45pm on 11 February 2026, the article was updated to indicate that the size of the NLOT’s primary mirror is 13.7m, not 30m.
