Tuesday, January 3 2006 15:34 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Bangalore: As part of efforts to indigenously produce strategic materials for its space programme, ISRO's Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Thiruvananthapuram, has signed an MoU with state-run Kerala Minerals and Metals Limited (KMML) for establishing a 500 tonne per annum titanium sponge plant.

The Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory, Hyderabad, developed the technology for the plant, Bangalore headquartered ISRO said in a statement.

Dr B N Suresh, Director, VSSC, and K P Rajendran, Managing Director, KMML, at Thiruvnanthapuram, signed the MoU yesterday (Jan 2, 2006) in the presence of G Madhavan Nair, Chairman, ISRO, and T Balakrishnan, Principal Secretary, Industries, Government of Kerala.

Titanium sponge is used for the production of aerospace grade titanium. It is a scarce raw material and is being imported so far. India has a reserve of titanium bearing minerals but, in the absence of a plant to produce titanium sponge meeting the requirement of high quality aerospace applications, the mineral is mainly exported or converted into titanium oxide pigment with very little value addition.

The MoU is expected to give a thrust for titanium production in the country. As per the MoU, the production plant will be set up at KMML with necessary infrastructure to upgrade the plant to produce 1,000 tonne per year at a cost of Rs 95 crore funded by ISRO.

Nair said that the MoU is a major milestone in the indigenous production of strategic materials for aerospace applications.