DRDO Chief at DefSpace 2026: Space Will Decide Future Wars

At the 4th Indian DefSpace Symposium held at the Manekshaw Centre on 23 April 2026, the chairman of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Dr. Samir V. Kamat, delivered a sharp warning: space will decide the outcome of future wars, and India needs a "whole-of-nation" push to keep up with the pace of rival space programmes.

Dr. Kamat noted that while the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) remains the lead agency for India's civilian space programme, the military side of space has been entrusted to DRDO since the formation of the Defence Space Agency in 2019. Three areas were flagged as priorities. First, space situational awareness — the ability to track satellites and debris in orbit — to protect Indian space-based assets. Second, the development of the restricted service of NavIC, India's regional navigation system, for military operations where civilian GPS cannot be relied on. Third, capabilities in space-based surveillance, communications and synthetic-aperture imaging radar.

On resources, the DRDO chief said the Defence Minister has committed to doubling defence research-and-development spending to about 10 per cent of the overall defence budget over the next five years. He emphasised that DRDO will increasingly work alongside startups, MSMEs and academia, and is expanding its network of Centres of Excellence with space as a key focus.

The wider symposium also discussed sovereign space capability — including indigenous launch vehicles, on-orbit servicing, and resilience against electronic and cyber attacks on space assets. India's space economy is being grown through the IN-SPACe regulator and a new generation of private launch and small-satellite companies.

Exam angle: Defence Space Agency, ISRO vs DRDO mandates, NavIC, IN-SPACe, space situational awareness, defence R&D budget share, and India's space policy framework are recurring topics for UPSC GS-III (S&T and security), CDS, AFCAT, NDA and CAPF exams.