Chennai, Feb 19 (IANS): Tamil Nadu will set up a new Space Industrial and Propellant Park near Thoothukudi District on 2,000 acres, said Thangam Thennarasu, Minister for Finance and Human Resources Management, here on Monday.

Presenting the state budget for 2024-25 in the Assembly, Thennarasu said the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is developing a spaceport to launch its Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) in Thoothukudi District.

In proximity to this facility, TIDCO (Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation Ltd) will establish a new Space Industrial and Propellant Park, on 2,000 acres, to promote space technology industries, Thennarasu said.

Incidentally, the ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC) is located near Kanyakumari at Mahendragiri Hills, Tirunelveli District in Tamil Nadu. It is the major testing hub of ISRO's liquid propulsion systems.

The role of the IPRC is to carry out research for the development of liquid propulsion systems both for satellites and satellite launch vehicles.

IPRC is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities for the assembly, integration and testing of liquid propulsion systems. It is responsible for the development, qualification and acceptance testing of sub-systems and systems for launch vehicles and spacecraft projects.