Should the Indian Government enact legislation on the space sector in the country? How many nations have enacted legislations on the same?

Ajey Lele replies: Yes. India needs to have a legal architecture which could assist in the growth and development of this sector and also ensure that such mechanism in no way becomes obstructive to the country's long-term strategic interests. Few states have adopted some legal mechanisms (for example, the US has National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958) and many of them are sector specific, like for communication or navigation or for remote sensing. It needs to be appreciated that expanse of space technologies do not envisage 'one size fits all' solution.

Posted on June 05, 2015