Union Minister stresses need to advance space technology in India

Union Minister for Civil Aviation, K. Ram Mohan Naidu, on Wednesday stressed the need to advance space technology in India. Speaking at the launch of Mission STRATO-XI, a near-space technology demonstration conducted at Indira Gandhi Municipal Stadium in Vijayawada, he described the event as a landmark achievement.

The mission, which showcased India’s first demonstration of air-breathing cold plasma propulsion in the stratosphere, was carried out by Raudranex Space Technologies, a Visakhapatnam-based space-tech startup incubated by the Andhra Pradesh Innovation Society (APIS), in partnership with Red Balloon Aerospace, a deep-tech startup headquartered in Mangalagiri and incubated under the APIS-Ratan Tata Innovation Hub (RTIH).

Highlighting the impact of space technology, the Minister said its applications were creating benefits for farmers, businesses, and citizens across multiple sectors. He also noted that the super-pressure balloon launched during the event could travel up to 25 km above earth, offering valuable opportunities for research and testing across industries.

Speaking about Andhra Pradesh’s future plans, including the Aerospace and Defense Policy, and development of a Space City at Sriharikota, he said there were other innovation-driven initiatives that were aimed at strengthening the State’s space ecosystem.

The STRATO-XI mission, hosted by Red Balloon Aerospace with strategic participation from Raudranex Space, was launched using India’s first Super Pressure Balloon platform developed for sustained high-altitude experimental operations and near-space testing.

Representatives explained that STRATO-XI was designed to demonstrate and validate aerospace technologies under near-space conditions, focusing on payload integration, onboard system performance, environmental evaluation, and flight-data collection for future advancements.

Preliminary findings showed that the payload successfully completed its intended flight objectives and functioned as planned, while detailed post-flight evaluations are currently in progress.

Vijayawada MP Kesineni Sivanath, Narsaraopet MP Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayulu and others were present on the occasion.