Hyderabad: Telangana IT and Industries Minister D Sridhar Babu on Thursday said the state government would formulate a space technology policy within a year to provide infrastructure for setting up spacetech companies and other facilities to strengthen Hyderabad's position as sector's hub.
Speaking at the inauguration of Cosmoserve Space’s Base 1 facility on Thursday, Sridhar Babu said the state government would also establish a Space City in the proposed Bharat Future City to provide research facilities and infrastructure for space technology companies, industries and innovators.
He said the government would seek inputs from scientists, industry leaders and space technology experts while developing the state's policy and institutional framework.
Congratulating Cosmoserve Space founder Chiranjeevi Phanindra and his team on establishing the space robotics and satellite servicing facility, the minister said their work on tracking space debris demonstrated the potential of emerging technologies.
“Facilities like Cosmoserve’s Base 1 show exactly why Hyderabad is leading the country in space innovation. We are now home to over 30 spacetech companies, including India's first spacetech unicorn and a few more soonicorns. They are building everything from launch vehicles and space data centres to debris removal systems and drug discovery platforms,” the minister said.
He said this level of deep-tech development was possible because Hyderabad had a rapidly growing aerospace and defence sector, 52 national laboratories, a talent pool of 15 lakh engineers and a local supply chain capable of meeting nearly 90 per cent of the companies' component requirements.
Sridhar Babu also said Hyderabad was ready to emerge as the world's most affordable space technology hub. To support innovators and sustain the momentum, the state government was actively planning an exclusive Space City within the upcoming Bharat Future City, he added.
Meanwhile, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology Dr Jitendra Singh, speaking virtually, said India was emerging as one of the early global players in space debris removal, with an Indian start-up developing technologies to make outer space safer and more sustainable.
The minister said India was working towards achieving debris-free space by 2030. He said the country's emerging capabilities in active space debris removal reflected its growing role in space technology and its commitment to ensuring a safer space environment.
"With the launch of Cosmoserve’s Base 1 facility marked an important milestone in India's private space sector.By bringing together space robotics, rendezvous and capture testing, satellite integration and mission control under one roof, the Base 1 facility demonstrates the growing capabilities of India’s space start-ups,” Singh said.
The company said its Base 1 facility was India's first private facility of its kind and the sixth in the world to be equipped with space vision effects and microgravity simulation capabilities.
Dr Chiranjeevi Phanindra, founder and chief executive officer of Cosmoserve Space, said the company had flown its first payload on an Indian rocket, raised seed funding and established a facility to design, build, test and fly its missions under one roof, all within its first year.
“Debris is becoming the limiting factor for every nation's space ambitions, including India's. Base 1 is where we build the capability to keep orbits usable, for Gaganyaan, the Bharatiya Antariksh Station, and every satellite that follows,” Phanindra said.
The facility's inauguration follows Cosmoserve's $6 million seed funding round, which took its total funding to over $9 million.