New Delhi: The government is setting up a national level, autonomous nodal agency, Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe), for hand holding, authorising, and licensing private players to carry out space activities.

The Centre, being established under the Department of Space (DOS), is one of the steps taken by the government to create and promote a space industry ecosystem in India, Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh said on Wednesday.

Singh said the space sector reforms the government has initiated in recent months are aimed at providing a level playing field for private companies and enable them to carry out end-to-end space activities.

"With the space sector reforms, private sector, academic institutions, start-ups, and industries are expected to participate in end-to-end space activities to expand the national space economy, generate more employment opportunities and create better manufacturing facilities, " said the minister in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.

He said access to DOS facilities and expertise has been extended to private entities to support their space activities.

Opportunities are also being offered in new domains of space technology.

"Apart from this, the government is bringing in new sector policies and guidelines and also revising existing policies, " Singh said.

The government, he said, is encouraging the transfer of technologies developed in the field of space to Indian industries.