BENGALURU: A 12-member Australian space industry delegation led by the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) used Bengaluru Space Expo 2026 to explore commercial partnerships with Indian companies across the space and adjacent technology sectors.Nathan Davis, Trade and Investment Commissioner, Austrade, India, said the delegation was aimed at taking Australia-India space cooperation into a “next commercial chapter”, with Australian companies bringing capabilities that complement India’s scale and expanding space ecosystem.Australia, one of the Tech Country partners at the ninth edition of the expo which ended Wednesday, showcased capabilities spanning launch and return services, Earth observation, bio-inspired sensing, cold spray additive manufacturing, space biology and microgravity research, in-space servicing software, space radiation testing, electric propulsion, space and AI research, radio astronomy, and advanced communications and data-intensive technologies.“The delegation’s visit is supported by the Australian Space Agency, Invest and Trade Western Australia, the Government of Western Australia and the Space Industry Association of Australia. It is part of the Australian Government’s Accessing New Markets Initiative and South Asia Business Exchange programme,” an official statement read.Several potential partnerships between Australian and Indian organisations are also being advanced at the expo.Australian Earth observation company LatConnect 60 (LC60) and Isro’s commercial arm NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) are entering into an agreement under which LC60’s SWIRSAT mission will access NSIL’s ground-station infrastructure in India for mission operations and data downlink requirements.
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The University of Western Australia and the Space Industry Association of India intend to collaborate through the university’s Global Engagement Alliance, focusing on education, research and industry engagement and the exchange of expertise and opportunities.Australia’s Space Angel Group and India’s Inbound Aerospace have established the sustainability of Space Angel’s spaceports for recovering Inbound’s autonomous, resuable capsule and returned microgravity payloads, with the two companies now working through technical details and the return authorisation pathway as they progress toward definitive commercial agreements.Space Angel is also collaborating with Red Balloon Aerospace on future commercial missions, including the return of spacecraft and resources obtained from asteroids and other celestial bodies. Separately, it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Andura Expeditions covering spacecraft testing, spaceport activities, high-altitude drop-test campaigns and hypersonic recovery.The delegation has also undertaken site visits and meetings with Indian companies to understand the country’s space ecosystem.
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