New Delhi: Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka will be leading ‘Make in India’ space ambitions as ‘manufacturing hubs’ catering to various aspects of the space programme, including building payload and launch vehicle capabilities.
Pawan Goenka, the chairperson of the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), said that apart from these three states, two more will be selected to develop as space manufacturing hubs. IN-SPACe is an independent nodal agency created to facilitate and enable the participation of private players in the Indian space sector.
Each state will focus on one dedicated aspect of building India’s capabilities. For now, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have presented their proposals. Some other states have presented their proposals too and their evaluation is going on.
“It will be like a Lego puzzle. Each state will be a separate piece to aid the larger space programme,” Goenka told ThePrint.
He said that as per the current plan, Gujarat will focus on the manufacturing of satellites and payloads, Tamil Nadu on launch vehicles, and Karnataka, which is India’s technology hub, will look at the overall manufacturing and assembling.
“We are still deciding if Karnataka should choose a focus area or if it should look at the overall programme in a more generalised way,” he said. All of these states have signed Memorandums of Understanding with IN-SPACe.
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Gujarat
In April, Gujarat became the first state to launch a dedicated space policy—Space Tech Policy (2025-2030).
The focus of this policy is to support the state’s spacetech industry, with special incentives to support the design, development, manufacturing, and deployment of space technologies. It also aims at fostering innovation and nurturing a skilled workforce.
The space policy says the focus will be on satellites, payloads, spacecraft, space station components, and related hardware, including propulsion systems, communication systems, and measurement, control and analytical instruments meant for use and deployment in space.
According to the policy, the state’s Space Tech Manufacturing Unit will bear 25 percent of the total cost of satellite unit manufacturing. The maximum assistance per launch per eligible unit will be Rs 5 crore.
“In today’s world, the space sector has become indispensable for critical services such as defence, navigation, healthcare, internet, data transfer, weather forecasting and disaster management,” the Gujarat government said in a statement after launching the policy.
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Tamil Nadu and Karnataka
In the MoU signed with IN-SPACe, the Tamil Nadu government has committed to enabling startups and companies in the area of design, R&D, strategic electronics and space-grade manufacturing.
These promises come at a time when the state government has already announced the setting up of a Space Industrial and Propellant Park in a 2000-acre area in Kulasekarapattinam, Tuticorin. The state also plans to set up a Centre of Excellence, with the guidance of IN-SPACe.
During the signing of the MoU, Tamil Nadu government officials said the project was taken up with the knowledge that the space sector is a key sub-sector of aerospace and defence industry and a potential major contributor to the state’s economy.
While Karnataka is yet to decide on the details of its expansions, the state will also be partnering with IN-SPACe to set up a Centre of Excellence to bolster space manufacturing.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
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