The Kerala government will set up a state-of-the-art Space Systems Park, claimed to be the country’s first, at Knowledge City in Thiruvananthapuram. It aims to attract global startups working in the space sector and also develop it as a major manufacturing hub for space-related technology, research and development.

APJ Abdul Kalam Knowledge Centre and Space Museum will be developed by Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC). It will be located at the sprawling site as part of the overall infrastructure of the space park.

Primarily a manufacturing hub for companies using geographic information system (GIS) and other data systems, the integrated complex will also have a startup incubator, accelerators including Airbus Bizlab, skill training systems and production units.

The state government has issued orders to make APJ Abdul Kalam Centre and Space Museum part of the space park. This will be an added attraction to the park and the entire investment will be made by VSSC.

The government will transfer 20.01 acres as lease to the Kerala State Information Technology Infrastructure Ltd (KSITIL) to develop the space park at Knowledge City within Technocity as an international space technology ecosystem. The project will be implemented by the Electronics and IT Department, government of Kerala.

“With the space park materialising, Kerala’s capital will become a key hub of space technology in the country. The space park is being set up to leverage on the opportunities provided by Space 2.0 and it will generate lots of high-tech jobs,” said M. Sivasankar, state secretary, Electronics and IT.

Apart from VSSC, some other major centres of ISRO are also located in and around the city, and together with the space park they would help create a robust ecosystem for space technology applications and research, Abdul Kalam museum being another attraction, he added.

Origin of VSSC

VSSC had a small beginning at Thumba, a coastal village in Thiruvananthapuram in 1962.

In the early 1960s, the Indian National Committee on Space Research (INCOSPAR), the Indian counterpart of the Committee for Space Research (COSPAR) of the UN, was formed under the leadership of Vikram A. Sarabhai.

The Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launch Station (TERLS) was established in 1962 for this purpose under UN sponsorship.

On November 21, 1963, a two-stage sounding rocket, Nike-Apache, was launched from TERLS, marking the beginning of space exploration in India.

Recognising the special value of this unique facility slightly off the magnetic equator, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi dedicated TERLS to the UN on February 2, 1968.

With this, there was a quantum jump in the scope for research in aeronomy and atmospheric sciences in India. In due course, the US, USSR, Japan, France and Germany started launching sounding rockets from TERLS.

In 1969, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) was formed under the Department of Atomic Energy to coordinate and conduct space research in the country.

In 1970, the Hydrometeorological Services of the USSR signed an agreement with ISRO to launch their meteorological sounding rockets, M-100, every week, from TERLS. This programme continued uninterruptedly until 1993. Besides these, India launched a series of its own sounding rockets named Rohini from TERLS.

In July 1972, TERLS came under the umbrella of VSSC.

In due course, TERLS was unable to support the increasing frequency of rocket launches. On account of insufficient space in Thumba and the limitations of space imposed by range safety considerations, a second rocket launching station was established on the east coast at Sriharikota island in Andhra Pradesh. This station named SHAR (or the Sriharikota Range) is now the space port of India.