Express News Service By

MYSURU: As part of Make in India initiative, Indian Space Research Oraganisation (ISRO) has decided to open a 100 acre Space Park in Bengaluru where private industries would be allowed to take up manufacturing of space system related components.

The Space Park spread in 100 acres of Whitefield area is expected to cater to increasing demand for components and other parts for satellites as India aims to launch more satellites for various observational services in future. India plans to launch 12 satellites in 2016 for remote sensing and navigation.

“The Space Park is coming up near Whitefield for the private industry. It is over 100 acres. It is likely to be inaugurated this month,” said ISRO satellite centre director M Annadurai at the Indian Science Congress.

Also in the pipeline is allowing private players to make satellites and providing them facility at Sriharikota for launch.

“The space industry has to invest and build modular capacity to enable the country to launch as many satellites to meet the growing demand of the user industry including the government private organizations and overseas users,” he said.

Annadurai said that the Space Park will also contribute to the government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative as the private industry and HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd) have been helping us in making rockets and satellites over the years.

Annadurai also talked about progress so far in the second lunar mission Chandrayaan 2 and solar mission Aditya.

“India will be the first country to have a high altitude polar landing of Chandrayaan 2 and it will have three components – orbiter, Lander and rover – to study the lunar surface. The mission is scheduled to be launched 2017-18,” he said.

Chandrayaan 2 has a capability to soft land at a specified lunar site and carry in-situ chemical analysis of the lunar surface and will have Orbiter Craft and Lander craft.