Priyank Kharge looks at SpaceTech initiatives

Bengaluru: IT-BT Minister Priyank Kharge on Thursday chaired a high-level SpaceTech ecosystem consultation and discussed various issues. Leading startups, academia, industry and institutional stakeholders were part of the deliberations.

The consultation commenced with a comprehensive overview of the newly-launched Centre of Excellence for Space Technology, followed by deliberations on infrastructure, manufacturing, skilling, testing capabilities and data-driven opportunities within the emerging new-space economy.

A major focus area was the establishment of a Common Assembly, Integration and Testing facility in Karnataka, particularly around functional and environmental testing infrastructure for startups and manufacturers. The department noted that suitable land parcels around Bengaluru will be evaluated, with work expected to commence in the coming weeks towards establishing advanced testing infrastructure through a PPP model.