Space industry body wants dedicated spaces akin to IT parks to boost sector

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In a bid to strengthen the defence space industrial complex in the country, the Indian Space Association, whose members include space-tech start-ups such as Pixxel, Skyroot Aerospace and others, have released a framework for the development and operations of space technology parks.

Space Technology Parks, which would provide a one-stop location for space-tech-related infrastructure such as testing facilities and services, regulatory sandbox, technology standards and so on, would be useful in tackling the high capital requirement in the space industry, IsPA said.

"As unlike other IT-driven sectors, the cost of technical infrastructure needed for design, development and testing is very high. Further, the space domain is characterised by high investments and long gestation periods for return on investment," the concept paper said.

Currently, the bulk of such technical infrastructure for testing, calibration and validation is held by government agencies such as ISRO, DRDO and government-assisted labs.

"Like the IT Parks, we expect the STPs to energize the next level of technology development in niche areas never attempted before in addition to becoming the best in quality test-bed destination for both national and global innovators," said IsPA in the concept note released by the body.

Currently, the Gujarat government and the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) are collaborating to construct a space manufacturing park. The park will have a plug-and-play infrastructure.

Similarly, the Kerala government and ISRO's Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre recently inked an MoU for developing a Space Park in the state.

Lt. Gen. AK Bhatt (Retd.), Director General, Indian Space Association said, "The development of STP is a critical step in the advancement of the country's space industry and will have far-reaching impacts on the economy, infrastructure, and quality of life in the years to come.

By drawing parallels from the experiences of IT parks and industrial corridors, we can look forward to a future of continued growth, innovation, and prosperity in the space sector."

The industry body's founding members include Larson & Toubro (L&T), Nelco (Tata Group), OneWeb, Bharti Airtel, Mapmyindia, Walchandnagar Industries and Ananth Technology Limited.

Its start-up members are Agnikul Cosmos, Dhruva Space, Digantara, Bellatrix Aerospace, Skyroot Aerospace, GalaxEye, Pixxel and others.

What STPs will do

Ground infrastructure and facilities: IsPA's concept note of space technology parks mentions ground infrastructure capabilities need to be built from scratch, thus requiring major investments.

Testing facilities and services: IsPA said that testing facilities within STPs such as wind tunnels, central instruments, and a computation cluster and data centre would benefit the sector.

"The proposed space park will benefit significantly from the development and establishment of advanced facilities for environmental conditions, propulsion performance (and so on)," the concept note said.

Single window mechanism and STP authority: IsPA requested the government to include a single-window mechanism for the entire space ecosystem to maintain transparency throughout the entire development process.

"The creation of an STP Authority is a step towards achieving this goal. This authority will serve as a single window to Space Technology Park for all the stakeholders involved in the space industry, providing a streamlined and efficient approach to handling the various needs and requirements of the industry," the industry body said.

Incubation centres and technology standards: The industry body proposed that incubation centres be established in STPs as this would encourage and support innovation.

"The technology developed by STPs’ Incubation Centres needs to adhere to a common benchmark & standardization process to address the specific needs of the space industry like quality assessment plan, material acceptance procedures/support, inspection support and access for quality control portal," it added.