The Karnataka government and the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) have signed two memoranda of understanding (MoUs). The two parties will jointly establish a centre of excellence (CoE) for Space Technologies in Bengaluru and a public-private space manufacturing park aimed at enhancing satellite and launch vehicle production.
The agreements were formalised by Ekroop Caur, secretary to the government of Karnataka, and Lochan Sehra, joint secretary of IN-SPACe, in the presence of the state government’s additional chief secretary Shalini Rajneesh and IN-SPACe chairperson Pawan Goenka.
The CoE is intended to drive research and development in space technologies. At the same time, the manufacturing park will provide infrastructure for production and testing facilities for upstream and downstream applications across the space value chain. These initiatives align with the Indian Space Policy 2023 and aim to support the state’s NewSpace ecosystem by fostering innovation and facilitating public-private partnerships.
“Backed by our dedicated Space Tech Policy, we’re creating the foundation for globally competitive infrastructure that will lead the future of space exploration and commercialisation,” Karnataka IT BT minister Priyank M Kharge said in a post on X.
Karnataka’s existing space sector includes entities such as ISRO, DRDO labs, HAL, BEL, BHEL, NAL, and various academic and research institutions. The state’s draft Space Technology Policy 2024–29 aims to train 5,000 professionals, attract $3 billion in investments, and support 500 startups and MSMEs in launching over 50 satellites.
“These MoUs mark a significant step towards transforming Karnataka into a global destination for space technologies. We are committed to fostering innovation and supporting the growth of the private space sector,” Caur stated.
Recently, at the Invest Karnataka 2025 summit, former ISRO chairman S Somanath also acknowledged Bengaluru’s leadership in space innovation but also pointed out that the city lags in producing a fully integrated communication satellite.
“There are small satellite-building companies, but I hope to see a four-tonne or six-tonne class communication satellite built by an Indian company and launched from Bengaluru,” he said.
