The story to this point: On April 17, the Tamil Nadu Cabinet, at a assembly chaired by Chief Minister M.Okay. Stalin in Chennai, permitted the Space Industrial Policy, thereby following Karnataka and Gujarat in formulating a State-specific doc to stimulate growth and woo investments within the space sector, which encompasses satellite tv for pc manufacturing, launch companies, and satellite tv for pc companies. In 2023, the Union authorities got here out with the Indian Space Policy 2023 to supply a framework to assist the space ecosystem.
How is Tamil Nadu positioned?
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has established an ISRO propulsion advanced (IRPC) in Mahendragiri of Tirunelveli district. Apart from dealing with and testing earth storable propellant engines, cryogenic engines and phases for launch autos, the IRPC conducts analysis and growth (R&D) and expertise growth programmes. ISRO can be establishing the nation’s second spaceport at Kulasekarapattinam in Thoothukudi. This strategic initiative goals to reinforce India’s space capabilities and facilitate satellite tv for pc launches. The State can be house to numerous space startups, that are engaged on subdomains equivalent to launch autos, reusable launch autos, in-space refuelling, in-space manufacturing and multi-payload information fusion from satellites, as per the Space Industrial Policy. Additionally, the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Tiruchi, hosts the southern area’s Space Technology Incubation Centre (STIC), taking part in a pivotal function in endeavor developmental tasks of the ISRO.
What triggered the coverage?
The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), a physique created by the Department of Space on the Centre for selling, authorising and overseeing the actions of Non-Government Entities (NGEs) within the sector, had steered to the State authorities to return out with a doc, says a senior official.
Even because the State authorities produced the Aerospace and Defence (A&D) Industrial Policy three years in the past, it recognized space as one of many precedence areas. Additionally, the State has a vendor base with over 250 distributors catering to the necessities of the ISRO. The Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with IN-SPACe to allow startups and established firms to launch manufacturing associated actions and companies, design and R&D, strategic electronics manufacturing and space-grade parts.
What does Policy wish to obtain?
Aimed at attracting ₹10,000 crore investments within the subsequent 5 years, the doc, in keeping with the federal government, might pave the best way for the technology of direct and oblique employment for almost 10,000 individuals within the given interval.
The Policy has been ready, conserving in thoughts the necessity for leveraging the State’s strengths in electronics, precision manufacturing and associated sectors, and integrating space applied sciences into Tamil Nadu’s governance to enhance residents’ high quality of life. Space applied sciences have immense purposes in departments equivalent to catastrophe administration, fisheries, agriculture, transport, income, well being, and municipal administration.
The State authorities would supply a payroll subsidy for firms which can be concerned in R&D or that may set up international functionality centres within the space sector. The authorities may even notify choose areas as Space Bays for providing structured packages of incentives to corporations that plan to do investments beneath ₹300 crore. Additionally, space industrial park builders shall be eligible for an industrial housing incentive of 10% on the price of growing residential amenities inside the industrial park over 10 years, topic to a ceiling of ₹10 crore. Those endeavor inexperienced and sustainable initiatives shall be eligible for a 25% subsidy on the price of capital for such initiatives, topic to a ceiling of ₹5 crore.
Published – May 26, 2025 08:30 am IST
