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United News of India
a day ago
- Business
- United News of India
HAL gets SSLV tech in Rs 511 crore deal
Bengaluru, June 20 (UNI) In a landmark move to bolster India's commercial space ambitions, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has formally transferred the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) technology to aerospace and defence major Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) under a Rs 511 crore agreement through a competitive bidding process. The deal marks the first time an Indian industry entity has been entrusted with the complete end-to-end production and commercialisation of a launch vehicle — a development hailed by Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) Chairman Dr Pawan Goenka as a "pivotal moment" in India's space sector reforms. The transfer agreement, signed between HAL, ISRO, NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL), and IN-SPACe, includes extensive handholding and training of HAL personnel by ISRO teams at both ISRO and HAL facilities. The roadmap envisages the realisation and launch of two SSLV missions over the next two years. "This is not merely a technology handover — it is a declaration that India is ready to democratise space access. HAL's successful bid reflects a high level of technical preparedness and capacity to absorb complex launch vehicle technology," Dr Goenka said. The SSLV, developed by ISRO, is a cost-effective launch vehicle designed to carry payloads of up to 500 kg into low-Earth orbit. It is particularly aimed at catering to the growing demand for small satellite launches, both domestically and globally. HAL emerged as the top bidder among three shortlisted contenders. The other two bids were led by Alpha Design Technologies (in consortium with Agnikul Cosmos and Walchand Industries Ltd) and Bharat Dynamics Ltd (in consortium with Skyroot Aerospace, Keltron and BHEL). The selection followed a rigorous eligibility and evaluation process conducted by IN-SPACe. According to Dr Rajeev Jyoti, Director (Technical Directorate), IN-SPACe, "All three bids were technically competent. HAL's proposal stood out in its comprehensiveness and readiness. ISRO will provide rigorous handholding to ensure seamless transition and mission success." NSIL Chairman and MD Radhakrishnan Durairaj said India could see up to a dozen SSLV launches annually in the near future. 'This is a major leap for Indian industry in realising indigenous launch vehicles for global clientele,' he noted. HAL CMD D K Sunil expressed confidence that the partnership with ISRO and IN-SPACe would lead to the establishment of a robust ecosystem for SSLV production and services. "This opportunity will enable HAL to fully own and operate SSLV launches, meeting global launch-on-demand requirements," he said. The development underscores the government's push to privatise and expand the space sector through public-private partnerships, targeting a projected $44 billion space economy by 2033. The SSLV transfer follows HAL's ongoing partnership with L&T for Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) manufacturing and comes amid increased activity in India's launch sector, including the emergence of private players like Skyroot Aerospace and Agnikul Cosmos. "This handover is a demonstration of intent — to make India not just a launchpad, but a global hub for small satellite launches," the government said in a statement. UNI BDN RN
Mint
a day ago
- Business
- Mint
Questions raised as HAL outbids Adani Defence, Bharat Dynamics in Isro's ‘privatisation' attempt
New Delhi: Almost three years since its first demonstrator mission launch, a ₹511-crore contract to privatize Indian Space Research Organisation's (Isro) small satellite launch vehicle (SSLV) was awarded toHindustan Aeronautics Ltd by the government's nodal space agency on Friday. However, considering that HAL is a public sector undertaking overseen by the defence ministry, analysts, observers and proxy advisory firms are questioning the efficacy of the announcement, insisting it does not truly qualify as 'privatization' of the government-built rocket. The contract will see HAL take full ownership of the rocket that Isro built and first launched in August 2022. Pawan Kumar Goenka, chairman of Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (In-Space), said the project is 'not just a manufacturing contract—HAL will do end-to-end manufacturing, supply chain procurement, winning orders from clients, (and ) launching and maintaining the rocket in the long run". Isro will handhold HAL through the making and validation of the small rocket for two years. Beyond this period, Goenka said HAL can onboard Isro as an advisor on a commercial contract basis. As of 20 June, the Union government holds a 71% stake in HAL. Also read | Hindustan Aeronautics: Here's all you need to know before investing 'The bid from HAL was carefully selected by In-Space, Isro, and NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL) through two bidding rounds. The first round saw the participation of nine companies, from which six were shortlisted. In the second round, three of the bidders dropped out, leaving HAL, and two consortiums—led by Alpha Design Technologies and Bharat Dynamics—as the finalists," Goenka said. Alpha Design is owned by Adani Defence Systems and Technologies Ltd. Neither HAL, NSIL or In-Space disclosed the cost of making the small rockets. Radhakrishnan Durairaj, chairman and managing director of NSIL, which is Isro's commercial space operations division, said the information 'would allude to SSLV's competitiveness on a global scale" and thus could not be disclosed. Industry stakeholders said the decision may not bode well for Isro's privatisation in the long run. Shriram Subramanian, founder and managing director of proxy advisory firm InGovern Research, said the move is 'strange, seeing that the contract was delivered to HAL without validating the firm's capability of delivering space projects as per timelines". Also read | How ISRO's 100th mission reflects its original startup spirit One hand to the other HAL, in partnership with Larsen and Toubro Ltd, was previously awarded an ₹860-crore contract to manufacture five units of Isro's larger rocket variant—the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)—in September 2022. The initial timeline to deliver the first of the five PSLVs was two years. 'We are on track with the engineering efforts, and results from the PSLV contract will be seen very soon," said Barenya Senapati, director of finance at HAL, fielding questions on the company's space contract execution capability during Friday's announcement. 'Our air force engineering division is separate from our new space business, so the two work very differently and are not interconnected," Senapati said, without disclosing when the first PSLV will be delivered. The SSLV award may compound pressure on HAL at a time when the public sector undertaking has been in the firing line of the Indian Air Force itself in terms of its failure to deliver its contract of indigenous 'Tejas' combat aircrafts. 'In a way, this is a good thing for the other private startups," said Narayan Prasad Nagendra, space industry consultant and chief operating officer of Dutch space supply chain firm, Satsearch. 'HAL's contract is essentially a representation of a government contract shifting funds from one hand to another without specifically achieving anything. If at all, given HAL's current track record in space, this will make way for private startups such as Skyroot Aerospace and Agnikul Cosmos to win more clients and take a market lead," he added. Also read | Space tourism: Can Isro beat Blue Origin? On the flipside, others said the move may have come out of necessity. Chaitanya Giri, space fellow at global think-tank Observer Research Foundation, said that 'since the other two final bids for the SSLV were through consortia, In-Space and Isro were really left with only one choice to execute a clean, simple contract for the SSLV". However, Giri added that 'the move to award the contract to HAL cannot strictly be called privatization—it is better to be referred to as commercialization by bringing a legacy Indian industry name into the nascent field". 'It also shows that the Indian government is not yet fully confident in India's private space firms, which could be another reason behind HAL winning the small rocket contract," Giri added. In-Space's Goenka, however, said HAL winning the contract 'was not a subjective decision". 'HAL was the highest bidder, and also cleared In-Space and Isro's technical evaluation process in terms of its capability under all parameters, thereby emerging with the contract as per the official process," he said.
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Business Standard
a day ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Isro transfers SSLV tech to defence major HAL in a ₹511 crore deal
Powering the small satellite market in India, the government on Friday announced the transfer of technology of the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) from the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) to public sector aerospace and defence major Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) for Rs 511 crore through a competitive bidding process. HAL, along with the launch vehicles of companies like Agnikul Cosmos and Skyroot Aerospace, is expected to have around three rockets launched from India every fortnight in a few years' time, said Pawan Goenka, chairman of the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe). This comes at a time when HAL, in collaboration with L&T, is involved in the production of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).This marks the first time the industry is responsible for the end-to-end production of SSLV rockets. The bidding process for SSLV involved a rigorous eligibility and evaluation framework. After careful scrutiny, three technically qualified bidders were shortlisted: Alpha Design Technologies Ltd, Bengaluru (leading a consortium with Agnikul Cosmos and Walchand Industries Ltd); Bharat Dynamics Ltd, Hyderabad (leading a consortium with Skyroot Aerospace, Keltron and BHEL); and HAL.'As India looks at realising the $44 billion space economy earmarked for 2033, it is imperative to enable a robust public-private partnership model. The SSLV technology transfer marks a pivotal moment in India's transformative commercial space segment, as this is one of the first instances of a space agency transferring complete launch vehicle technology to a company. Under this technology transfer agreement, HAL will have the capability to independently build, own and commercialise SSLV launches,' Goenka Technology Transfer Agreement will be signed among HAL, NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL), Isro and IN-SPACe. The agreement encompasses extensive training and handholding of HAL personnel by Isro teams, both at Isro and HAL facilities, for the realisation and launch of two SSLVs in the next two years.'The three bidders demonstrated a high level of technical competency to absorb the technology, and we appreciate the earnest effort put in by all three bidders in providing extensive documentation in support of the technical evaluation criteria. The launch vehicle system, being multidisciplinary in nature, would require the winning entity — HAL — to undergo rigorous handholding and training under Isro at both Isro's and the entity's facilities. This is aimed at realising the projected launch of two SSLVs from an Indian launch port,' said Rajeev Jyoti, director, Technical Directorate, IN-SPACe. The SSLV, developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro), is a low-cost rocket designed to place small satellites of up to 500 kg into low-Earth orbit (LEO).Radhakrishnan Durairaj, chairman and managing director, NSIL, said that India is expected to see around six to twelve launches a year of SSLVs in the coming years. 'We are pleased to be part of this SSLV technology transfer process that would enable HAL to develop this launch vehicle that would cater to launch-on-demand needs of global small satellite customers. This collaboration marks a significant step towards strengthening India's commercial satellite launch capabilities, and more specifically in enabling Indian industry in realising this SSLV,' Durairaj added.'In this milestone, India's national ambition takes priority. We're looking forward to working closely under Isro and IN-SPACe's guidance to progress in phases and realise the end objectives. We're confident of steering a cohesive ecosystem that enables more small satellite launches from India's ports,' said D K Sunil, chairman and managing director of HAL. This development reinforces India's commitment to privatising and democratising access to space technology, empowering Indian industry to play a leading role in space manufacturing and increasing small satellite launches, said a government statement.
India Today
26-05-2025
- Science
- India Today
Isro ground PSLV fleet after launch disaster, continues to prep for Nisar launch
Days after the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle failed moments after launch, the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) has temporarily grounded its trusted PSLV development comes following the failure of the PSLV-C61 mission on May 18, which was carrying the advanced EOS-09 earth observation decision comes as a high-level committee investigates the anomaly that led to the rocket's third-stage malfunction, resulting in the loss of the satellite and rocket over the Indian The PSLV, renowned for its 94% success rate with only four failures in 64 missions, encountered a rare setback when the third stage of PSLV-C61 suffered a sudden drop in chamber pressure, causing a loss of the first two stages performing reliably, the third stage's solid-fuel motor did not generate sufficient thrust, and the mission was aborted less than seven minutes after suspect a rupture in the fibre casing of the third-stage motor as a possible cause, with hot gases from the burning fuel potentially entering sensitive EOS-09 satellite, equipped with a sophisticated Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) capable of all-weather, day-and-night imaging, was intended to support environmental monitoring, disaster response, and national security loss is a significant operational setback for Isro, but officials remain confident in a swift the PSLV grounding, Isro's other launch vehicles remain for the high-profile Nasa-Isro Synthetic Aperture Radar (Nisar) mission, scheduled for launch in June 2025 aboard a GSLV rocket, are proceeding as Nisar mission, a $1.5 billion collaboration with Nasa, will deploy one of the world's most advanced radar imaging satellites to monitor Earth's changing systems and natural and external expert committees are now scrutinising telemetry and system diagnostics from the failed PSLV mission, with a detailed report expected by officials stress that the temporary grounding of PSLV is a standard safety measure and will not impact the schedule of other critical missions, including Nisar and the upcoming Gaganyaan human spaceflight Isro investigates the rare PSLV failure, its focus remains on ensuring flawless operations for future launches, particularly with ambitious crewed and international missions on the Watch
New Indian Express
25-05-2025
- Science
- New Indian Express
Crewed missions ahead, Isro needs zero-flaw operations
The May 18 failure of India's workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket to deliver sophisticated earth observation satellite EOS-09 to its intended orbit in space is a hard knock for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The four-stage PSLV-C61 launcher lifted off with the EOS-09 satellite sharp at 5.59 am from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. The first two stages performed reliably, but the problem began after the third stage fired. The PSLV-C61 lost thrust, and the remaining third and the fourth stage (latter nestling EOS-09) crashed into the sea. ISRO Chairman V Narayanan suspects it happened due to a fall in pressure in the PSLV-C61's third-stage motor chamber carrying Hydroxyl-terminated Polybutadiene as the solid propellant. Rocket propulsion experts understand that pressure in a rocket motor's combustion chamber can fall due to changes in the burning rate and surface area of the propellant or from issues within the nozzle, whether erosion or burning surface area. This caused a loss of thrust, preventing the PSLV-C61 from reaching the intended altitude of 534 km to release EOS-09 in its orbit and crashing about five minutes after launch.
