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New Delhi: The Minister of State for Space, Jitendra Singh laid the foundation stone of a Rs 75 crore state-of-the-art new building at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA). The seven-storied building has a built-up area of nearly one lakh square feet, and is being developed as one of the key scientific hubs in the country. The facility is expected to bolster India’s capabilities in advanced astronomy research and space science instrumentations. Instruments developed by the IIA are being used by ISRO missions, including an UltraViolet Imaging Telescope (UVIT) on AstroSat, and Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC) instrument on the Aditya-L1 heliophysics observatory.

The foundation stone laying ceremony was conducted at the IIA campus in Koramangala, in the presence of the Chairman of the Governing Council of the IIA and the former Chairman of ISRO, S Somanath, and the Director of the IIA, Annapurni Subramanian along with senior faculty members, scientists, researchers and officials from the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the Central Public Works Department (CPWD). The programme included unveiling of a plaque, a medium-sized Aspheric Grinder and Polisher in the Optics Laboratory, presentations of the work by the institute and garlanding of the bust of IIA founder MKV Bappu, after whom the new building is named.

MKV Bappu Bhavana to be completed in two years

The building will house laboratories, classrooms, office spaces and a conference facility. The building is being constructed by the CPWD with an estimated completion period of two years. The minister referred to the recent announcements of four major telescope projects in the Union Budget 2026, which will be implemented by the IIA and are expected to significantly expand the astronomical capabilities of India. Singh emphasised the need to connect scientific institutions with young people through outreach and digital platforms, given the growing interest in science and space activities.