Union Minister of Finance Nirmala Sitharaman, in the Union Budget on Sunday, announced that to promote Astrophysics and Astronomy via immersive experiences, four Telescope Infrastructure facilities will be set up or upgraded.
These are the National Large Solar Telescope (NLST), the National Large Optical infrared Telescope (NLOT), the Himalayan Chandra Telescope, and the Cosmology Education and Research Training Center (COSMOS 2) Planetarium. All these projects will be overseen by the Bengaluru based Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA).
The NLST is a proposed ground-based 2-m class optical and near infra-red (IR) observational facility in the country, which will be located near the Pongong lake in Merak, Ladakh,
The NLOT is likely to come in Hanle, Ladakh. The Himalayan Chandra Telescope will get an upgrade, and the COSMOS 2 Planetarium will be established in Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh.
The COSMOS-1 planetarium, a state-of-the-art LED-Dome planetarium, is already being set up at the foot of Chamundi Hill in Mysuru. It is being executed through an MoU between the IIA and the University of Mysore.
“The announcement on expanding telescope infrastructure and learning facilities is a meaningful step towards strengthening India’s scientific base in astrophysics and astronomy,” said Lt. Gen. AK Bhatt (retd.), Director General, Indian Space Association (ISpA).
Published – February 01, 2026 08:49 pm IST
