While the Budget has increased allocation for capital expenditure for the space sector by ₹1,066 crore, the sharpest increase within this has gone to ‘space sciences’, which has received more than four times it did last year.
The allocation towards capital expenditure for ‘space sciences’, to ₹428.31 crore from ₹98.95 crore. This is a 333 per cent increase, or more than 4 times. Funds earmarked for revenue expenditure of space sciences has also been raised, from ₹85.67 crore to ₹141.45 crore—a 65 per cent increase.
The total allocation for ‘space sciences’ (capital plus revenue) stands at ₹569.76 crore, against ₹184.62 crore in 2025-26 (revised).
The increased allocation is for “the expenses of Space Science Programmes undertaken by ISRO which include Sponsored Research in Academia and Industry, Sensor Payload Development/Planetary Science Programme, Climate and Atmospheric Programme, Space Science Promotion and Space Science and Planetary Exploration missions,” says the Notes on Demands for Grants for the Department of Space.
The total funds set aside for the space sector schemes have also gone up to ₹12,822.81 crore from ₹11,588.82 crore previously—an increase of ₹1,234 crore, or by 10.6 per cent. Of this, the sharpest increase has been for ‘space sciences’. Budgetary allocations for the other areas of space, such as Space Technology and the Insat Programme, have also gone up, albeit by modest percentages. For example, the allocation to Space Technology has risen 8.2 per cent, to ₹10,397 crore.
Space Technology encompasses the activities of the various centres of the Indian space agency, ISRO, such as the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, ISRO Inertial Systems Unit, Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre, UR Rao Satellite Centre, and Satish Dhawan Space Centre. It essentially covers activities such as launch vehicles and satellite projects and also the infrastructure to support them.
Published on February 1, 2026
