Visakhapatnam, November 12 (IANS). Astrobase Space Technologies on Thursday announced an investment of Rs 800 crore in Andhra Pradesh. The investment is aimed at massively expanding the company's rocket testing and launch vehicle development infrastructure. This move is a major step towards strengthening India's private space transportation ecosystem.
The space technology company signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Andhra Pradesh Economic Development Board during the 31st CII Partnership Summit 2026 held in Visakhapatnam. It aims to expand its existing rocket engine testing facility located at Thimmasamudram in Sri Sathya Sai district.
Under this expansion plan, Astrobase will add 339 acres of land to its existing facility, taking its total area to approximately 360 acres from the current approximately 22 acres.
Commenting on the development, Neeraj Khandelwal, CEO and Co-Founder, Astrobase Space Technologies, said that this expansion is an important milestone in Astrobase's efforts to develop advanced space transportation capabilities from India.
Khandelwal said, “This expanded infrastructure will enable us to run critical testing programs, including 'static hot-fire test' and 'stage-level hop test'. It will also accelerate the development of 'reusable launch vehicle' technologies.”
He further said, “India has already proven its amazing capability in the field of space exploration and technology. The next step is to use this strength to develop the capability to send payloads to space more frequently, reliably and at scale.”
The project is expected to generate around 500 direct jobs and around 1,000 indirect employment opportunities in the area.
The announcement comes at a time when Astrobase recently revealed plans to invest Rs 500 crore to set up a dedicated manufacturing facility in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
The proposed facility will have advanced 'additive manufacturing' and fabrication infrastructure, non-destructive testing and quality inspection facilities. Additionally, there will be engine and stage assembly capabilities that will support the development of the company's 'Everest' engine and 'AB220 medium-lift launch vehicle' programs.
The two-day 31st CII Partnership Summit, being held in Visakhapatnam, is being organized by the 'Confederation of Indian Industry' (CII) in collaboration with the 'Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade' (DPIIT), and is being hosted by the Government of Andhra Pradesh.
This summit is expected to generate investment proposals worth up to Rs 11 lakh crore and generate around 2.5 lakh jobs in various sectors.
–IANS
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