Tamil Nadu can become a global space hub with a rocket port, in Tuticorin district, with private rocket and satellite makers as well as component vendors. The defence corridor in Tamil Nadu and the state government’s aerospace park can be part of this.
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is building its second rocket port at Kulasekarapattinam in Tuticorin district to launch rockets with small satellites. ISRO plans to fly its new rocket – Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) with a 500kg carrying capacity – from Kulasekarapattinam. The space agency is acquiring land for the project.
Kulasekarapattinam is an ideal location for a satellite launch and is located on the east coast and near the equator. Currently India has a rocket port at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh with two launchpads. Major space-faring nations have multiple rocket launch sites.
According to M Annadurai, a former Director of ISRO, the trend of launching small satellites, with Indian companies making small rockets for such satellites, the presence of a rocket port can help make Tamil Nadu a global space hub. The defence corridor and manufacture of drones in the state will provide the necessary supply chain for small satellite makers in Tamil Nadu, he added.
ISRO’s propulsion centre at Mahendragiri in Tamil Nadu has been sourcing some of its needs from vendors in the state. Industrial units in Chennai, Coimbatore and Salem in Tamil Nadu have been supplying components for ISRO.
ROLE OF STARTUPS
Chennai-based space sector startups- Agnikul Cosmos, GalaxEye Space Solutions and the defence/aerospace electronics company, Data Patterns (India) Ltd., are making small rockets, satellites and related systems.
According to Srinath Ravichandran, Co-Founder, Agnikul, the company sources components like electronic boards, sensors from auto ancillaries and tweak them for use in the rocket.
Srinivasagopalan Rangarajan, CMD, Data Patterns, said the necessary ecosystem and knowledge base are present in Tamil Nadu.
Larsen and Toubro (L&T) and Lakshmi Machine Works Ltd (LMW) are making components for the aerospace sector.
Tamil Nadu has the vendor base for chemicals and fabrication to make solid fuel fired rocket engines.
Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation Ltd (TIDCO) is establishing an Advanced Computing and Design Engineering Centre (ACDEC) for aerospace and defence manufacture at the Aerospace Park in Sriperumbudur. – Author: Nitya Varadarajan
