KOCHI, Dec 14: Kerala has a very cost-effective and mature ecosystem of space vendors that would help the country become a global vendor in the sector, said experts today at Huddle Global 2025.
They were sharing their views during a session on ‘Aerospace & Defence Innovation’ at the 7th edition of the ongoing three-day Huddle Global 2025, organised by Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM), at The Leela Kovalam, a Raviz Hotel, Kovalam, near here.
Amal Chandran, CEO of Technopark-based spacetech startup HEX20, said that, with a combination of bright young minds with great ideas, cost-effectiveness, and an overly mature ecosystem, Kerala can contribute immensely to the nation’s aspirations to become a global vendor.
“The space and Defence industry is well-suited for the psyche and mindset of Kerala economy. The presence of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), VSSC, K-Space and other prestigious institutions enriches Kerala’s space ecosystem,” Chandran noted.
According to him, China’s manufacturing potential for space is cheaper than India’s, but the latter can actually be a leader in the field with a high-quality supply.
Highlighting the importance of the private sector in the field, Prof Dipankar Banerjee, Vice Chancellor, IIST, said that the government alone can’t fulfil the requirements and the number of satellites we have to launch, nor the services we have to provide to the community.
“It is crucial that the private sector emerges very strongly. There are almost 300-plus startups that have come up in the last two years, which is a phenomenal growth,” he said.
Stressing the importance of linkage between academia and industry, Prof. Banerjee said that all academic institutions now have a major responsibility to make dedicated efforts in space technology to meet the huge demand.
Vishesh Rajaram, Managing Partner, Speciale Invest, said India’s space policy basically gives legitimacy to private space startups to burgeon. It also offers a framework for private startups to engage with and leverage the expertise, credibility, and knowledge that ISRO has.
Wg Cdr Gaddam Sandeep, Indian Air Force, was of the view that if we combine industry and academia as a single entity, the ecosystem will have a huge potential. He suggested government hand-holding of startups in capability building and enhancing them to reach out to other major Defence segments to understand the procedures.
Dr Arun Surendran, Principal, Trinity College of Engineering, was the moderator.
The December 12-14 event, which is India’s largest beachside startup festival Huddle Global 2025, showcases the exciting journey of the country’s startup ecosystem with Kerala as the domain pivot.
(UNI)
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