For Australian space companies looking to enter or expand their presence in the Indian market, the message from Bengaluru Space Expo (BSX) 2026 was clear – India is actively seeking trusted international partners with specialised technologies and expertise.
India’s space sector is undergoing rapid transformation driven by government investment, regulatory reforms, and growing private-sector participation.
The Australian space ecosystem’s strengths in satellite technology, advanced manufacturing, space situational awareness and downstream applications align closely with the priorities of the Indian space sector.
‘India provides manufacturing scale and a palpable sense of optimism that excited our delegation and the broader Australian space ecosystem,’ says Nathan Davis, Austrade Trade and Investment Commissioner. ‘What Australia and India can achieve together through technology collaboration, integration and knowledge exchange goes both ways.’
Shooting for the export stars
Supported by the Accessing New Markets Initiative, Austrade partnered with Trade Diversification Network member Space Industry Association of Australia to lead the Team Australia delegation to BSX 2026, one of Asia’s premier space industry events. The Australian Space Agency and Invest and Trade Western Australia also provided support.
The 12 Australian organisations in the delegation included Heavy Ion Accelerators, LatConnect60, Neumann Space, Optera, ResearchSat, Space Angel, Space Machines Company, Southern Launch, Titomic, UNSW Canberra Space, the University of Western Australia and Valiant Space.
‘By bringing together industry, government and trade representatives under a unified national presence, Australian organisations could engage senior decision-makers more effectively and present a stronger collective value proposition to the market,’ says Davis.
Success in the Indian market depends as much on relationships and local engagement as it does on technology – and this was evident throughout BSX 2026. Over 3 days, the Australian delegation explored commercial opportunities and partnerships with Indian government agencies, prime contractors, emerging space companies and research institutions.
India’s Inbound Aerospace and Australia’s Space Angel Group signed a five-year MOU to explore spacecraft recovery, testing and spaceport infrastructure cooperation.
Austrade facilitated nearly 60 commercial introductions, leading to 5 Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) and several others in the pipeline.
- LatConnect 60 and New Space India Limited entered into an agreement that will enable LC60’s SWIRSAT mission to access and leverage NSIL’s ground-station infrastructure in India, supporting the mission’s operations and data downlink requirements.
- The University of Western Australia and Space Industry Association of India will work to strengthen engagement across education, research and industry, and facilitate knowledge exchange, expertise and opportunities.
- Space Angel and Inbound Aerospace have established that Space Angel’s spaceports can be used to recover Inbound’s payloads. The parties will progress to definitive commercial agreements for recovery site access and operations.
- Space Angel and Red Balloon Aerospace will collaborate on future commercial space missions, including the safe return of spacecraft and resources obtained from asteroids and other celestial bodies.
- Space Angel and Andura Expeditions intend to work on spacecraft test and spaceport collaboration, high-altitude drop test campaigns and hypersonic recovery.
Exploring opportunities and partnerships
Beyond the exhibition halls, Austrade curated a series of networking and business events designed to deepen collaboration.
An Australia-India Space Industry Breakfast brought together leaders from both ecosystems to discuss emerging opportunities and policy considerations. Meanwhile, a trilateral Australia-India-UK networking reception combined delegations from 3 ecosystems to explore opportunities for international collaboration.
The delegation also participated in site visits to 2 leading Indian space companies: satellite and geospatial technology start-up GalaxEye and aerospace manufacturer Ananth Technologies, providing a first-hand look at India’s space innovators.
One of the clearest signals of the event’s success came from the sustained interest shown by India’s key space agencies. Senior representatives from the Indian Space Research Organisation, IN-SPACe and New Space India Limited visited the Australian booth on multiple occasions, highlighting opportunities for collaboration in advanced technologies and commercial space solutions.
‘BSX 2026 displayed the growing momentum in the Australia–India space relationship and demonstrated the strong alignment between Australian capability and India’s ambitions,’ says Davis. ‘Many of the conversations at BSX reinforced that Indian organisations are seeking trusted partners for long-term capability development.’
Find out more market insights for exporting space technology and services to India.