Approved: Kulasekarapattinam for launching of Small Satellite Launch Vehicles
The Government has given approval to the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory – India (LIGO-India) project at an estimated cost of Rs.2,600 crore with Department of Atomic Energy as the Lead Agency.
On completion, the LIGO-India will be operated as a national facility for detecting Gravitation Waves and Research in related areas, Minister of State Atomic Energy and Space Dr Jitendra Singh said in a written reply to Rajya Sabha on 10 Aug 2023.
Dr Jitendra Singh informed that the government has approved the establishment of a new spaceport in Kulasekarapattinam, Tamil Nadu, for carrying out the launches of the Small Satellite Launch Vehicles (SSLV) developed by ISRO for enhanced participation of Non-Government Entities (NGEs) across the entire value chain of the space economy, while clearly delineating the roles of various stakeholders viz. IN-SPACe, ISRO, NSIL and DOS.
The 0Government has set up the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) as a single-window agency for promotion and authorization of space activities.
The budget allocations for IN-SPACe: 2023-24 Rs 95 crore; 2022-23 Rs.33 crore; 2021-22 Rs.10 crore.
He also informed that the ‘Indian Space Policy – 2023’ has been approved and released in the public domain. Fiinews.com