THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:
The two-day international conclave on Space Technology commencing here on January 31 will set the ground for Kerala’s Space Park to take off as a global space industry hub, starting with some significant tie-ups with leading organisations.
“New Space—Opportunities and way forward” is the theme of the event, to be held at Hotel Raviz at Kovalam beach resort, organised by India’s first Space Park, being developed by the Government of Kerala here with the backing of industry and domain leaders including Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the conclave on 31st January 2020, at 5. 30 pm.
Letters of Intent (LOIs) with Laboratories for Atmospheric Space Physics (LASP), Colorado, and Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC), Austria, and an MOU with Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), will be exchanged during the conclave.
The meet will see convergence of top experts, industry leaders and envoys to deliberate on immense possibilities thrown up by profound changes propelled by new technologies.
The event is happening when the business of private sector Indian space industry is expected to cross USD 30 billion this year. Apart from big companies, start-ups will also sub tantially benefit from this exponential growth. Considering the huge job potential, leveraging the possibilities of space sector in a big way is especially crucial for a state like Kerala, which has a vast pool of technically qualified youth.
With the Centre planning to liberalise the space domain to attract more private investment, the sector is poised to scale greater heights. On the demand side, a spurt is expected with private consumers looking for services like never before and traditional government-run programmes being taken up by private organisations.
According to ISRO, the number of technologies transferred had jumped to 16 by 2016 from a mere three in 2000, which included PC Add-on Card.
A partnership with LASP, the largest university community having 10 institutions of higher learning as affiliates, will enable sharing of their learning with our universities and higher education and research institutions of interest. “This collaboration will not only enable sharing of experiences but also pave the way for our research institutions and universities to be part of future space missions and facilitate training in space technology,” said M Sivasankar, Secretary, IT and Electronics, Government of Kerala.
SGAC is the largest space enthusiasts’ community involved in policy making, youth mobilisation into space technologies and supporting entrepreneurship and training. This tie-up will clear entry for Kerala into global space research and industry sectors, Sivasankar noted.
“Space park is conceived based on the inherent strength the st ate has in the field of Space Industry. The presence of country’s only Space university and nearly 40% of ISRO’s scientific pool makes Thiruvananthapuram a very unique place for Space Industry. Govt. of Kerala wants to promote our capital as the Space City of the Country,” said Sivasankar.
MoU with CII will facilitate industry connect to the Space Park and enable the companies set up there to have access to the country’s largest industry network. The meet will explore vital topics in the context of the paradigm shift in today’s global space industry, estimated to be of USD 250-300 billion size, at a time when large missions are giving way to constellations, private investments coming into the domain in substantially and innovators and researchers investing in commercialization of their ideas.
The speakers to address various sessions include G Madhavan Nair, Former Chairman ISRO, M C Dathan, Scientific Advisor to CM, Dr Arabinda Mitra, Scientific Secretary , office of PSA to the Government of India, Dr Gilles Rabin, Director Innovations, CNES Connect, Rakesh Sasibhushan, CMD Antrix, Prof Daniel Baker, University of Colorado, USA, Jasmal Husein Al Zaabal, Consul General, UAE, Catherine Suard, Consul, France and Sarah Fallon, Head of Science & Innovation British High Commission.
Main topics to be covered by the meet include “Navigating space industry—through innovation, agility and collaboration”, “Enablers of space industry—challenges and insights into space regulations and policies”, “complexities of space programme”, “fuelling the space industry”, “building the world class space tech ecosystem”, “bench marking the Indian space tech startup ecosystem”, “Envisioning the future of space industry”, space data and its universal impact”, “innovations disrupting the world of outer space” and “Space technology backbone for science and academics”
The delegates will include experts from ISRO, Airbus, CNES, LASP and Space Federation of India. For details visit www.spacepark. Kerala.gov.in/stc.
A state-of-the-art Space Technology Park is coming up at Knowledge City here to attract global start-ups working in the space sector and as a major manufacturing hub for space-related technology, research and development.
Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Knowledge Centre and Space Museum, to be developed by Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), as a befitting memorial to former president and top space scientist, will also be located at the sprawling site, as part of the overall infrastructure of the Space Park.
