India is working to engage its private sector in satellite manufacturing and double its satellite launch rate, the country’s top scientist says.

India is hoping to launch a record 68 satellites in a single mission early next year, taking a giant step in space commerce as it competes for a bigger share of the burgeoning global space market worth billions of dollars.

India and the U.S. have signed a bilateral Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) by which both nations can use each other’s land, air and naval bases for repair and resupply.