Space and atomic energy technology are closely guarded, and in the past Indo-US relations have swung like a pendulum in both these sectors, but now the world’s oldest democracy and the world’s largest democracy are showing signs of tangoing together in a new Indo-US strategic and commercial embrace.  

In a new milestone, the nuclear energy sector was opened up for American companies on December 18, but interestingly, the immediate fallout is possibly being witnessed in another strategic area: the space sector.

An American communications satellite initially slated for launch on December 15 was delayed and is now being launched on December 24, 2025, soon after the enabling legislation that opens the door for private companies to invest in atomic energy was rushed through the Parliament.

India has finally unlocked its hitherto highly regulated and secretive nuclear energy sector by enacting a new act, the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India Bill, 2025 – or SHANTI Act – on February 18, 2025. This enabling legislation could play out in the Indo-US trade deal that is still being negotiated. But even as that happens, for the very first time a US company has decided to launch its heavy communications satellite on a dedicated rocket mission from India, which could well be the most lucrative contract the Indian space agency has ever earned.