The Tamil Nadu government is working on a blueprint to create ‘Space Bays’ in Madurai, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli and Virudhunagar districts on the lines of Space Coast of Florida of the United States, as per the draft Tamil Nadu Space Industrial Policy 2024. The state aims to attract 10,000 crore investment in five years in the sector.

Planned on two space industrial parks, one for propellants and another for satellites and payload manufacturing, this would help create an ecosystem of supply chain in the four districts. The objective is to generate direct and indirect jobs for 10,000 individuals in 10 years, and promote increased adoption of space-based technologies in transportation, agriculture, disaster management, and urban planning.

The government is offering space-based companies and startups special incentive for setting up such facilities in the four districts. For the propellant industrial park, the land requirement may be anywhere between 500 acres and 700 acres while for the other park, the demand will be need-based. It is banking on Tidel Neo being set up in Thoothkudi for downstream activities of space domain.