Naidu Charts Space Strategy With Twin Hubs in AP

Nellore: Running parallel to Andhra Pradesh’s defence aspirations, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has set his sights on India’s Space ambitions and aims to turn the state into an S-powerhouse.

During a meeting with Union Minister of State for Science and Technology, Jitendra Singh, on May 23, Naidu submitted a detailed proposal to develop two dedicated Space Cities — one near Sriharikota and another near Lepakshi.

While the plan is futuristic, the roots go back nearly 25 years. “ISRO had once proposed setting up a Space industrial hub close to Sriharikota, but the idea didn’t take off then,” recalled a retired senior scientist from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SHAR).

Now, with renewed political will, AP seems determined to give wings to the idea.

The first hub would be developed in close proximity to Sriharikota, home to India’s only operational spaceport, to support the manufacturing of launch vehicle components and critical propellant logistics. The second, at Lepakshi in Anantapur district, is strategically placed to link with Bengaluru’s thriving space ecosystem and promote industry-academia partnerships and R&D.

Andhra Pradesh, already home to ISRO’s prestigious launch centre, is not entirely new to the space supply chain. Several industries in Sri City — just 40km from Sriharikota — have been quietly contributing to ISRO’s missions.

These include VRV Asia Pacific (makers of India’s first indigenous liquid hydrogen storage tank), Danieli India (builders of mobile launch pedestals), Rotolok (valves for solid propellants), THK India (linear motion guides used in Chandrayaan-3), NovaAir (liquid oxygen supplies), Val-Met Engineering (processors of aerospace-grade alloys), and Siddhartha Logistics (handles sensitive ISRO payload logistics).

Tanuku in West Godavari district hosts Andhra Sugars’ propellant unit, which supplies MMH and UDMH to ISRO.

“Transporting liquid gases and high-precision components from distant parts of India to Sriharikota is not just time-consuming but risky. Building launch vehicle stages and creating launch support service industries near the spaceport can drastically improve efficiency, reduce costs, and create thousands of jobs,” observed a retired engineer of Shar.

Experts believe parts of Tirupati district located close to Sriharikota offer an ideal location for such integrated clusters, bringing both economic and logistical gains. The state’s renewed push comes at a time when Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka have already taken the lead by framing their own space sector policies.

Gujarat focuses on satellite and payload manufacturing, Tamil Nadu on launch vehicles, while Karnataka continues as the nerve centre of ISRO’s broader operations.

IN-SPACe chairperson Pawan Goenka recently noted that more states would be identified to support India’s $44 billion space economy goal by 2033.

Given this backdrop, the absence of a formal Space policy in Andhra Pradesh stands out. “It’s high time AP drafts its own space policy to attract investments and formalise its ambitions,” said a retired SHAR scientist.

With a projected aerospace and defence budget of $100 billion over the next decade, and global firms looking to collaborate, a comprehensive policy could be the key to unlocking AP’s space potential. To guide these efforts, the state has appointed S. Somanath, former ISRO chairman, as its honorary adviser on Space technology. His leadership is expected to align the state’s strategy with global trends and national objectives.