Former ISRO Chairman Somanath said the construction of new rocket launch pads and NGLVs in Sriharikota provides a huge opportunity to develop the aerospace ecosystem in Andhra Pradesh.

On Monday, former DRDO chairman G. Satheesh Reddy, former ISRO chairman Somanath, Vijayawada MP Kesineni Sivanath and other VIPs met at a Monday meeting with stakeholders in the aerospace and defense industry. |Photo source: Gn Rao

S. Somanath, former chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and space technology consultant for Andhra Pradesh (AP) government space technology consultant S. Somanath said the approval of the construction of a new launch pad (Sriharikota) at the Satish Dhawan Space Center (SDSC) in Sriharikota and numerous competitive and private companies (private) for the next general launch vehicle (NGLV) and provides important opportunities for private (a partnership for the Alliance Government space exploration mission is carried out with a futuristic vision.

To do this, an entire ecosystem must be created somewhere around the SDSC, with various components and other provisions coming from other geographical locations. To achieve this, both the union and the Associated Press government should expand all possible support to companies, especially MSME, and many of them have become part of the global supply chain to expand the capacity of the Indian A&DM.

Mr Somanat welcomed the review of the Ministry of Industry of Andhra Pradesh at an A&DM Department stakeholder meeting organized by Andhra Pradesh Department on Monday to list the Aerospace & Defense Manufacturing Manufacturing Policy 4.0-2025-29, Mr Somanat said the focus of the centre is to bring the changes required to the scope of A&DM Ecosystem nts Synevers ns Synys, which is very weak in the product. These gaps must be filled to realize the potential of Indian companies as years of space exploration opens up.

Mr Somanat said the global space ecosystem has been dominated by several countries, but recently, more and more countries have begun to become space countries by sending large numbers of satellites into the space. India is one of them, but the task at hand is much bigger. Commercial space launch is an opportunity that the country cannot afford but has to overcome many challenges that hinder the capabilities of industries that want to contribute to space exploration.

He noted that the coalition government had obtained approval to put 50 satellites in orbit over the next five years, but ISRO could send 10 satellites to meet the needs of hundreds of people. Somanat added that to catch up, these capabilities must be greatly expanded.

Indigenous defense manufacturing capabilities

G. Satheesh Reddy, former DRDO chairman and A&DM division of the AP government, said that increasing indigenous defense manufacturing capacity has been a push for the coalition government, which recognizes the fact that India needs to be self-sufficient in the context of raging wars between Russia and Ukraine and Israel to better defend itself.

Accordingly, the value of indigenous defence manufacturing has gone up to ₹1.27 lakh crore in 2024-25 and it was targeted to be increased to ₹1.75 lakh crore by the end of FY 2025-26, and ₹3 lakh crore by the year 2029. The quantum of defence exports has also gone up exponentially, Mr. Satheesh Reddy said, while insisting that AP has tremendous scope to be the go-to destination for A&DM companies because it has unique advantages that some other states have.

Vijayawada MP and member of the Parliamentary Committee of the Ministry of Defense Kesineni Sivanath, Major Ajay Mishra, general official of the Indian Army AP and Telangana sub-region, AP Government Secretary (Industry and Commerce), N. Yuvaraj N. Yuvaraj, N. Yuvaraj, Bharat Dynamics Limited CMD Commitos commit commit commit corman cortram cortram cortram cortram cortram cortram cortram cortram cortram cortram cortram cortram cortram cortram cortram cortram cortram cortram cortram cortram cortram cortram cortram cortram cortram cortram cortram cortram cortram cortram cortram cortram cortram cortram ra ra ra ra. APIIC Chairman Manthena Ramaraju and Vice-Chairman M. Abhishikth Kishore are the people who express their opinions.