India needs concentrated tooling hubs for advanced manufacturing for aerospace and space domain: S Somanath
S Somanath called for the establishment of dedicated manufacturing hubs across India, stressing the critical absence of a comprehensive aerospace manufacturing framework. He underscored the pressing demand for skilled technicians in tooling and related sectors, while also highlighting the supply chain challenges that impede India's rocket production capabilities.
ANI
S Somanath
Former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman S Somanath on Tuesday said there is an urgent need to develop tooling hubs in India to truly scale advanced manufacturing. He emphasised that India must create focused, concerted manufacturing ecosystems similar to those in China.
Speaking at the Accel Advanced Manufacturing Summit in Bengaluru, Somanath said India lacks an ecosystem for aerospace manufacturing. 'Distributed hubs across the country are not a good idea for sectors like aerospace. We need concentrated hubs where all players are aggregated, coupled with institutions that add value to research and innovation,' he said.
He highlighted that specialised skills such as tooling are often not addressed in the domain. 'We need people with great knowledge in tooling processes, metallurgy, materials manufacturing, machine tools, process engineering, and automation,' he said, while discussing India's next decade building frontier tech capabilities.Somanath also pointed out that while Indian rockets are witnessing strong global demand, the lack of sufficient supply remains a bottleneck that needs immediate attention. 'Manufacturing becomes the crux of the problem. The ability to manufacture and launch in a short period is essential,' he told startups looking to build in the space sector, highlighting that mass manufacturing in satellites and small launch vehicles will be needed to capture the global market.Space startups and deeptech investors also echoed his thoughts and said that for India, space as a defence technology has come much later, and there are areas where it still needs to play catch-up.
Agnikul Cosmos CEO Srinath Ravichandran said the way to address the gap is not to mimic the SpaceX model but to build from scratch. 'Everyone wants to go build a SpaceX, but that may not be the easiest way to build rockets,' he said, adding that instead of replicating the model, solutions can be built from the Indian context for the world.Vishesh Rajaram, managing partner at deeptech venture capital firm Speciale Invest, which has backed several spacetech startups, believes, 'There are certain places we (India) can leapfrog, like in-orbit servicing or any action that you can do in orbit. That's very much a level playing field. Maybe the West is just two or three years ahead of us, and India can compete there.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Today
19 minutes ago
- India Today
US calls India strategic partner, vows full and frank talks despite trade, oil rift
The United States called India a "strategic partner" and said it will keep engaging New Delhi in a "full and frank dialogue," even as the two sides grapple with disputes over tariffs, trade imbalance and Russian oil US President Donald Trump ruling out further trade negotiations with India until issues over its Russian oil imports are resolved, the State Department struck a more measured Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said the president had been clear about his concerns about the trade imbalance and oil purchases but emphasised that India remains a strategic partner with whom the US maintains a "full and frank dialogue."WASHINGTON REAFFIRMS ENGAGEMENT WITH INDIA Speaking to reporters in Washington on Thursday, Pigott said the Trump administration was committed to addressing disagreements directly."The President has been very clear in terms of the concerns he has regarding the trade imbalance, regarding the concerns he has when it comes to the purchase of Russian oil. You have seen him take action directly on that. India is a strategic partner with whom we engage in a full and frank dialogue. That will continue," Pigott said. When asked whether Washington was concerned about worsening ties with India or the risk of New Delhi drawing closer to China, State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said the US remained committed to addressing differences through direct and ongoing engagement with its strategic pointed to two specific areas of friction -- the trade imbalance and India's purchase of Russian oil."Addressing those concerns is important. The President has been very clear," Pigott said. "Ultimately, this is about a frank and full dialogue. That's what it means to advance American interests."Pigott avoided addressing China and other Brics nations' role in mobilising opposition to US trade measures but reaffirmed that engagement with India will RULES OUT INDIA TRADE TALKSEarlier, speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump was asked if he expected further talks following his announcement of steep tariffs, to which he replied, "Not until we get it resolved."Trump's remarks follow his earlier warning of new "secondary sanctions" on countries trading with Moscow, after being questioned on why India was being singled out for its ties with Russia while others continue to purchase Russian US president on Wednesday signed an executive order subjecting Indian imports to an additional 25 per cent trade tariff on India after warning the country over its oil purchases from Russia, taking the total levy to 50 per cent. The new tariffs will take effect on August 27.- EndsWith inputs from agencies Tune InMust Watch
India.com
19 minutes ago
- India.com
No Trade Talks With India Until..., Says Donald Trump Amid Tariff Tensions
In an interview with ANI at the Oval Office if talks could resume after the new 50% tariff, Trump said, 'No, not until we get it resolved.' On Wednesday, the White House issued an Executive Order adding another 25% tariff on Indian goods, taking the total to 50%. The US government said the move was due to national security and foreign policy concerns, pointing to India's continued imports of Russian oil. The order stated that these oil imports, whether bought directly or through other countries, pose an 'unusual and extraordinary threat' to the US, justifying emergency economic action. According to US officials, the initial 25% tariff came into effect on 7 August. The additional levy will take effect in 21 days and apply to all Indian goods entering US ports -- with exceptions for items already in transit and certain exempt categories. The order also provides flexibility for the president to modify the measures, depending on changing geopolitical circumstances or retaliatory actions by India or other nations. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi responded defiantly during a speech at the MS Swaminathan Centenary International Conference in New Delhi, signalling that New Delhi would not back down in the face of economic pressure. "For us, the interest of our farmers is our top priority," PM Modi said. "India will never compromise on the interests of farmers, fishermen and dairy farmers. I know we will have to pay a heavy price for it, and I am ready for it. India is ready for it." India has consistently pushed back against opening sensitive sectors such as agriculture and dairy to international competition, citing the potential impact on millions of rural livelihoods. The standoff marks a sharp escalation in trade tensions between the two countries, as both sides dig in over economic policy and matters of national interest.
Hans India
19 minutes ago
- Hans India
After Slapping 50% Tariffs On India… Trump warns India of 'secondary sanctions'
Washington: Hours after imposing an additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian imports, taking the total to 50 per cent, US President Donald Trump warned of more secondary sanctions on India over its continued purchase of oil from Russia. "It's only been eight hours. So, let's see what happens," Trump told reporters when asked why India was being singled out while countries like China also continue to buy Russian oil. "You're going to see a lot more. You're going to see so many secondary sanctions". Trump's remarks came amid growing US pressure on countries to cut economic ties with Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. When asked during the Oval Office event whether a potential peace deal between Russia and Ukraine could lead to the removal of additional tariffs on India, Trump said, "We will determine that later". President Trump has also hinted at imposing further tariffs on China, similar to the 25 per cent duties recently applied to India over its Russian oil purchases. This comes as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is ready for his first visit to China in over seven years amid straining ties with Washington.
