Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh) [India], May 27 (ANI): Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu on Wednesday participated in the launch of India's first Super Pressure Balloon by Red Balloon Aerospace in Vijayawada, calling it a landmark moment for both the country and Andhra Pradesh amid India's rapid advances in space and technology.

Describing the launch as a significant milestone, Naidu said the event reflects India's growing strength in the space sector under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership and highlights Andhra Pradesh's emergence as a hub for future-focused technologies.

'It is a great moment for the country and also the state of Andhra Pradesh for launching this technology here. It's a great moment also because of the kind of advancements that India has been seeing in space, technology and the spatial background. Under the Prime Minister's leadership, we have achieved a lot of success in the last twelve years, especially under the NDA government, where there has been a specific push in Indian space technology,' Naidu told the media after the launch.

The minister also pointed to Andhra Pradesh's expanding role in the technology sector, saying the state is witnessing rapid development across emerging industries.

'You have seen data centres coming up in Andhra Pradesh, which is going to be the future base for artificial intelligence and machine learning. So many different things are happening in the state of Andhra Pradesh,' he said.

Highlighting India's growing economic footprint in the global space industry, Naidu said the country is aiming for major expansion in the coming decade.

'Today, we are an eight-billion-dollar industry in space because of the Prime Minister. In the next decade itself, we are aiming to become a 40-billion-dollar space industry,' he said.

During the interaction, Naidu also addressed concerns around Ebola preparedness, stating that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), in coordination with the Ministry of Health, has already put in place standard operating procedures at airports across the country.

'The DGCA has already given instructions in correspondence with the Ministry of Health. We have worked out certain SOPs that if any person is detected, then what are the quarantine measures and what are the subsequent testing measures that need to be taken,' he said.

'All the airports have been informed, especially the international airports,' the Union minister added.

Meanwhile, CVS Kiran, CEO of Red Balloon Aerospace, termed the launch a historic milestone for India's aerospace journey.

'We have successfully connected India's first historic moment today. India's first super-pressure balloon has been launched from Vijayawada, marking a historic moment for the country, as well as India joining the allied countries where stratospheric super-pressure balloon systems are available,' Kiran told the media.

'Hopefully, this develops into the next level of products that we are developing, that is, aerostats and airships,' he added. (ANI)