The Union Minister emphasizes the need for progress in space technology in India

Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu along with MP for Narasaraopet Lava Sri Krishna Devarayalu during the launch of the STRATO-XI mission at the IGMC Stadium in Vijayawada on Monday. | Photo credit: KVS Giri

Union Minister for Civil Aviation, K. Ram Mohan Naidu, on Wednesday emphasized the need to advance space technology in India. Speaking at the launch of the STRATO-XI mission, a near-space technology demonstration held at the 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 technology start-up incubated by the Andhra Pradesh Innovation Society (APIS), in collaboration with Red Balloon Aerospace, a Mangalan-based deep-tech startup APIS based at Mangalanovagi Hubtan in Hubtan Ingalagiri. (RTIH).

The minister highlighted the impact of space technologies and said that their applications are creating benefits for farmers, businesses and citizens in various sectors. He also noted that the pressurized balloon launched during the event could travel up to 25 km above the ground, offering valuable opportunities for research and testing across industries.

Talking 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-based initiatives aimed at strengthening the state’s space ecosystem.

Organized by Red Balloon Aerospace with strategic participation from Raudranex Space, the STRATO-XI mission 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 flight technologies in near-space conditions, focusing on payload integration, on-board system performance, environmental assessment and flight data collection for future advancements.

Preliminary findings have shown that the payload successfully met its intended flight objectives and performed as planned, while detailed post-flight evaluations are currently underway.

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

Published – 27 May 2026 23:38 IST