On Thursday, September 18, IT/BT Minister Priyank Kharge announced that the state government has sanctioned a Rs 10 crore Centre of Excellence (CoE) in space technology, to be established over the next 18 months. This follows the chief minister’s budget announcement earlier this year, reported The New Indian Express.

Objectives of the centre

The CoE aims to build a robust ecosystem for space technology by fostering research, innovation, and startup incubation. It will enhance skill development, promote collaboration between industry, academia, and government, and drive technology adoption and commercialisation.

The centre will also expand global market access, support policy innovation, and promote knowledge-sharing to boost economic growth and competitiveness, Kharge stated.

Planned activities

The centre will focus on training, capacity-building, research, and product development. It will facilitate industry-academia-startup partnerships, host workshops and policy dialogues, and operate innovation labs, incubation, and accelerator programmes to create a future-ready space technology ecosystem.

Just in

Recently, India and the US entered a new chapter of space cooperation during a special event at the Embassy of India in Washington, DC. Officials and astronauts emphasised that decades of collaboration are now enabling ambitious missions to the Moon and Mars.

The event, titled India-USA Space Collaboration: The Frontiers of a Futuristic Partnership, took place on Monday, September 15, at India House. It highlighted significant achievements, such as the joint NASA-ISRO NISAR satellite and the Axiom Mission-4, which brought Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla to the International Space Station.