The Tamil Nadu government and IN-SPACe signed an agreement
on Wednesday to establish a space vehicle common technical facility at the
upcoming space manufacturing industrial park in Allikulam, Thoothukudi
district.
The agreement was signed by D Karthikeyan, Chairman and
Managing Director, TIDCO, on behalf of the Tamil Nadu government, and Anupam
Anand, Joint Secretary, IN-SPACe, in the presence of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister
C Joseph Vijay and state Industries Minister S Keerthana, according to a press
release.
The tie-up marks a significant milestone in the state’s
efforts to build a world-class ecosystem for space manufacturing.
Under the agreement, the Indian National Space Promotion and
Authorisation Centre will provide equipment worth up to Rs 1 billion for the
facility. The Tamil Nadu government will allocate the required land and develop
the buildings, utilities and supporting infrastructure.
The facility will offer shared access to advanced testing
infrastructure for vibration, shock, thermal-vacuum, EMI/EMC, pressure and flow
assessments. It will also support launch vehicle assembly, component integration
and hydroclave operations.
Access to such capital-intensive infrastructure is expected
to reduce the cost and time required for industries to develop, test and qualify
space systems and components.
Located near the upcoming spaceport at Kulasekarapattinam,
the facility is envisioned as a hub for manufacturing launch vehicle
components, satellite systems, propulsion systems, avionics, composite
structures and other critical space hardware.
It will serve as the technological backbone of this
ecosystem, enabling industries across the country to access world-class
capabilities.
The initiative is expected to attract substantial private
investment, generate high-skilled employment, strengthen the local supplier
ecosystem and accelerate innovation in the space sector.
By lowering entry barriers for industry, the facility will
support indigenous capability development and enhance India’s competitiveness
in the global space economy.
The collaboration also underlines the Tamil Nadu
government’s focus on building globally competitive industrial ecosystems and
supporting emerging sectors through strategic partnerships and world-class
infrastructure.
(Source: The Print)