The Karnataka IT Ministry convened a high-level spacetech ecosystem consultation chaired by Minister Priyank Kharge, bringing together startups, academia, industry leaders and institutional stakeholders to strengthen Karnataka's position as India's leading commercial space innovation hub.
Representatives from organisations including Pixxel, KaleidEO, Astrogate Labs, GalaxEye, Ananth Technologies, Centum Electronics, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), BHEL and institutions such as Raman Research Institute, Indian Institute of Astrophysics, and IN-SPACe participated in the consultation.
The consultation began with a detailed overview of the recently launched Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Space Technology, unveiled on May 1, followed by discussions around infrastructure development, manufacturing capabilities, skilling initiatives, testing infrastructure and emerging opportunities in the new-space economy.
Karnataka IT & BT Minister Priyank Kharge
A major highlight of the discussion was the proposed establishment of a Common Assembly, Integration and Testing (AIT) facility in Karnataka, particularly focused on functional and environmental testing infrastructure for startups and manufacturers.
The Department said suitable land parcels around Bengaluru will soon be evaluated, with work expected to begin in the coming weeks to develop advanced testing infrastructure through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.
Stakeholders also explored mechanisms to improve access to existing testing facilities across government institutions, academia and private industry. Discussions further covered the expansion of Karnataka's space component manufacturing ecosystem in alignment with the State's Space Policy, including the creation of dedicated manufacturing parks and cluster-based industrial ecosystems.
Karnataka IT Secretary N Manjula said Karnataka was the first state in India to release a draft Space Policy, reflecting its long-term commitment to building a globally competitive commercial space ecosystem spanning infrastructure, manufacturing, research, talent development and industry collaboration.
Kharge described spacetech as a critical pillar of Karnataka's "DeepTech Decade" vision, stating that the state is uniquely positioned to lead India's next phase of commercial space growth through innovation, advanced manufacturing, data and downstream applications.
He added that common testing and validation infrastructure could significantly reduce entry barriers for startups and MSMEs while accelerating product development and commercial readiness. He also highlighted the growing importance of space data across sectors such as agriculture, climate resilience, logistics, disaster management and governance.