New Delhi: The Centre has approved the establishment of advanced space manufacturing facilities in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu as part of a major push to strengthen India’s private space sector and expand indigenous manufacturing capabilities.
The initiative comes after the government opened the space sector to private participation and is aimed at creating dedicated plug and play infrastructure for startups, MSMEs and large industries involved in space technology and manufacturing.
The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Center, commonly known as IN-SPACe, has approved the creation of common technical facilities within specialised manufacturing clusters identified by the two state governments. Gujarat will develop a Space Manufacturing Park at Khoraj near Ahmedabad, while Tamil Nadu will establish a Space Vehicles Cluster at Thoothukudi.
According to officials, the facilities will allow private companies to access advanced testing and manufacturing infrastructure without the need to build expensive systems independently. The clusters are expected to support manufacturing, integration and testing of spacecraft systems, launch vehicles and payload technologies.
The Gujarat facility will focus primarily on spacecraft systems, payloads and space based applications. It is expected to provide end to end support for development and testing of spacecraft components using advanced shared infrastructure.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu’s cluster at Thoothukudi will cater to launch vehicle manufacturing and integration. Located close to the upcoming launch complex at Kulasekharapatnam, the facility will support structural testing, propulsion validation and full system integration for small launch vehicles. The Centre has sanctioned ₹100 crore for the Space Vehicle Common Testing Facility Centre in the state.
Officials said both projects have already attracted strong interest and investment commitments from private industry players. Around ten other states have also reportedly expressed interest in developing similar space manufacturing ecosystems.
Under the arrangement, state governments will provide land and civic infrastructure, while IN-SPACe will oversee procurement, installation and commissioning of technical systems before eventually transferring ownership to the respective states.
The move is expected to significantly strengthen India’s growing space technology sector and position the country as a major manufacturing hub for future space missions and commercial launch systems.
