News Analysis India

Tag: Department of Space

  • Indian Industry to produce two more entire rockets — GSLV-Mk III and SSLV: Dept of Space

    By PTI

    BENGALURU: The Department of Space (DoS) plans to realise entirely-built rockets — GSLV-Mk III and SSLV — from Indian industry partners, in addition to PSLV, according to a top official of its commercial arm NSIL.

    NSIL (NewSpace India Limited) has received three bids — HAL-L&T, BEL-Adani-BEML, and BHEL, in response to the request for proposal (RFP) floated by it for end-to-end production of PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle).

    “We are now going through the techno-commercial evaluation (in respect of the three bids)”, NSIL Chairman and Managing Director, Radhakrishnan D, told PTI here.

    He said the process will be completed within the next two months with one of the bidders bagging the contract.

    The selected bidder will be responsible for realisation of five numbers of PSLV.

    Immediately after selection of the bidder to produce the entire PSLV, NSIL will release Expression of Interest (EOI) for end-to-end production of another operational rocket — GSLV-Mk III (Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle) — in a similar fashion, Radhakrishnan said.

    “I am targeting before the end of this year (to release EOI for GSLV-Mk III)”, he said.

    NSIL also has plans to realise SSLV (Small Satellite Launch Vehicle), being developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) with the first development flight expected by this year-end, through Indian industry partners.

    “We are waiting for the first mission (of SSLV) to happen successfully”, Radhakrishnan said.

    “This (SSLV) will be an ideal candidate for industry production”.

    SSLV is a three-stage all solid vehicle and has a capability to launch up to 500 kg satellite mass into 500 km low earth orbit (LEO) and 300 kg to Sun Synchronous Orbit (SSO).

    The new generation compact rocket has been designed to meet “launch on demand” requirements in a cost-effective manner for small satellites in a dedicated and rideshare mode, according to officials of Bengaluru-headquartered ISRO.

    Industrialisation of space activities is gaining momentum in India.

    About 40 space startups and industries are in consultation with ISRO for support related to various domains of space activity such as development of satellites, launch vehicles, develop applications and provide space-based services.

    India’s Foreign Direct Investment policy in the space sector is also getting revised which, the ISRO Chairman and DoS Secretary K Sivan believe, will open up huge avenues for foreign companies to invest in the country.

    Earlier this month, the DoS entered into a Framework MoU with two spacetech startups — Skyroot Aerospace and Agnikul Cosmos — for access to ISRO facilities and expertise towards the development and testing of subsystems/systems of space launch vehicles.

  • Enormous scope for tie-up between foreign and Indian companies in space sector: ISRO chief K Sivan

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The reforms initiated by the government in the space sector and the liberalisation of FDI norms will ensure a sustained engagement between Indian and overseas companies which will greatly benefit both, ISRO chairman K Sivan said on Monday.

    After initiating reforms in the space sector, the Department of Space has received 40 applications, mostly from start-ups, for utilising ISRO’s facilities and each proposal is being looked into.

    The DoS is assessing the requirements of each of the applications, he said. “Our space FDI policy is getting revised and this will open up huge avenues of opportunities for foreign space companies to invest in India. This will ensure a sustained engagement between Indian and overseas companies which will greatly benefit both,” Sivan said.

    He was speaking at the International Space Conference organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). Sivan, who is also the Secretary of the Department of Space, said that there is an enormous scope for foreign companies to tie up with Indian companies in the space sector. “This is something we have to take up very very strongly. We have seen a lot of interest (in the Indian space sector) from the foreign companies,” he stressed.

    He said ISRO will be concentrating more on research and development and strive to overcome the challenges and the technological gap in a timely and more responsive manner in the changing scenario. ISRO facilities’ expertise will be leveraged so that opportunities will be there for private industry to generate more cash flow and investment.

    Last week, the DoS has signed a framework MoU with Skyroot Aerospace Pvt Ltd. that will enable the company to undertake multiple tests and access facilities at various ISRO centers and avail technical expertise of ISRO for testing and qualifying their space launch vehicle systems and subsystems.

    Sivan said many such MoUs with other start-ups will be signed soon. In a major reform in India’s space arena announced by the government last year, the private sector was allowed to carry out space activities like building of rockets, satellites and providing launch services.

    The government also formed the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (In-Space) under the Department of Space as a separate vertical for taking independent decisions with respect to permitting and regulating space activities of the private sector.

    Sivan said In-Space will act as a link between ISRO and the private sector industry assessing how to best utilise India’s space resources and increase the space-based activities. “The department sees start-ups as new-age industry partners and the potential future partners who can contribute to space economy and we will be able to enable them to become competitive with other big global players,” he said.

    R Umamaheshwaran, Scientific Secretary, ISRO and incharge (IN-Space Activities), said the DoS is now in the process of finalising policies related to SATCOM (Satellite Communications) and remote sensing with a view to enable the Indian industry to penetrate more into the space applications demand.

    The DoS has also released draft policies for space transportation, satellite navigation, human space technology ransfer, all of which shall incorporate the public feedback, go through the various stages of internal reviews before being formally approved.

    The Space Activities Bill is going through various departmental reviews, inter-ministerial consultations before being finally tabled in Parliament, Umamaheshwaran added.

  • Policy ignition: India’s satellite navigation sector set for higher growth trajectory

    By PTI
    BENGAULRU: India’s satellite based navigation and augmentation services sector appears headed for a higher growth trajectory with the proposed ignition of a policy push towards effective development, operation and maintenance of such systems.

    The Department of Space (DoS) plans to devise a “comprehensive and substantive” national policy for satellite based navigation — the Indian Satellite Navigation Policy – 2021 (SATNAV Policy – 2021).

    Its draft has now been hosted on the website of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for public consultation after which it would be placed before the Union Cabinet for final approval.

    It seeks to “Achieve self-reliance in satellite based navigation and augmentation services with emphasis on assuring availability & quality, enhancing usage, working towards progressive evolution of the services and promoting research & development”.

    In the last few decades, there has been a phenomenal growth in the number of applications that rely on Position, Velocity and Time (PVT) services provided by space based navigation systems, it was noted.

    With the advent of information and mobile phone technology, crores of users across India rely heavily on PVT based applications in virtually every walk of life.

    Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) are space based navigation systems that provide navigation signals across the globe.

    Currently, there are four GNSS — GPS from the USA; GLONASS from Russia; Galileo from European Union & BeiDou from China — offering PVT solution globally.

    In addition, there are two regional navigation satellite systems — NavIC from India and QZSS from Japan offering navigation signals for the defined coverage area.

    The Navigation signals are offered free-to-air for a variety of applications ranging from air, space, maritime and land applications covering tracking, telematics, location based services (using cell phone and mobile devices), automotive, survey, mapping & GIS and timing.

    GNSS also offer secured navigation signals exclusively for strategic applications of their respective countries as the free-to-air signals are susceptible to adversaries.

    There is a need for such secured services exclusively for the Indian strategic community also, according to the draft.

    The Government of India has, therefore, established a resilient and independent system – Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) which is totally under its control.

    Satellite Based Augmentation Systems (SBAS) augment navigation satellite constellations by providing integrity and correction information via geostationary satellites.

    WAAS of USA, EGNOS of European Union, SDCM of Russia, SNAS/BDSSBAS of China offer these services in their defined coverage area.

    Government of India has also established a similar SBAS system — GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation-(GAGAN) for the Indian airspace.

    “Space based navigation /augmentation system is essentially a public good which has to be accessible to all users”, the DoS said.

    “Such a national infrastructure can only be provided by the Government”.

    Further, to strengthen Government’s ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative, it is essential to ensure continuity of NavIC and GAGAN services, upgrade the system considering the exponential technological advancements and also continue having the capability to operate in conjunction with other GNSS/SBAS, the draft said.

    So, it is pertinent to devise a comprehensive and substantive national policy for satellite based navigation.

    The objective of the policy is to ensure guaranteed and continuous availability of free-to-air navigation signals for civilian uses and secured navigation signals for strategic uses in the defined coverage area.

    Another goal is to ensure guaranteed and continuous availability of SBAS for aviation safety in the defined coverage area.

    There is also a need to work towards progressive evolution of navigation signals and expansion of coverage for enhanced use.

    Focus would also be on technology development for enhancing the navigation satellite systems, and working towards compatibility and interoperability of Indian satellite navigation and augmentation signals with other GNSS/SBAS signals.

    Another aim is to promote Indian industry and academia to carry out research and development activities in the field of satellite navigation based applications with emphasis on societal benefits.

    There is also a need to work towards facilitating global usage of Indian satellite navigation and augmentation systems, the DoS said in the draft.

  • India, France working on third joint space mission: ISRO Chairman

    By PTI
    BENGALURU: India and France are working on their third joint satellite mission, even as the bilateral space collaboration is entering into multiple domains, including human spaceflight programme, ISRO Chairman K Sivan said.

    Sivan, also Secretary in the Department of Space, said many French companies are keen to tap into opportunities thrown up by recent reforms injected into the space sector by the Government.

    “France is the biggest partner of India in space”, he said at the DST (Department of Science and Technology) Golden Jubilee Discourse on ‘unlocking India’s space potential – geospatial data & mapping’, an event presented on virtual mode by the National Council for Science and Technology Communication and ‘Vigyan Prasar’ on Friday.

    According to ISRO officials, ISRO and French space agency CNES (Centre National dEtudes Spatiales) have undertaken two joint missions ‘Megha-Tropiques’, which was launched in 2011, and ‘Saral-Altika’ in 2013.

    “Currently, we are working for the third one (mission)”, Sivan said.

    Officials said ISRO and CNES have completed the feasibility study to realise the earth observation satellite mission with thermal infrared imager, TRISHNA (Thermal infraRed Imaging Satellite for High resolution Natural resource Assessment) and are working towards finalising an implementing arrangement for the joint development.

    Sivan said India is also working with France on joint experiments and accommodation of scientific instruments in space missions.

    “Indo-French space collaboration is expanding into multiple domains including space exploration and human space flight programme,” he said.

    ISRO officials said the two space agencies have also finalised all interface control documents for accommodating CNES’s ‘ARGOS’ instrument in ISROs OCEANSAT-3 satellite.

    ARGOS instrument has been delivered at Bengaluru for integration with the satellite.

    “Discussions on establishing ‘NavIC’ (an independent regional navigation satellite system developed and maintained by India) reference station in France and CNES ‘Scintillation’ receivers in India are also progressing well”, they said.

    ISRO-CNES HSP (Human Space Programme) Working Group had a number of discussions on medical aspects of human spaceflight and finalising an implementation arrangement to formalise cooperation in the field of space medicine, it was noted.

    Sivan said with the recent reforms initiated by the government in the space sector, the Indo-French space cooperation is expected to grow further involving industries, academia and research institutes.

    He said many French companies want to “make use of” reforms in the sector and “they are going to involve”.

    So, the reforms would not only strengthen space cooperation at government-to-government level but industry- to-industry interaction is going to get a “fresh relook” in the changed environment, Sivan added.