ISRO seeks partner to make small launchers

August 31, 2018 01:04 am | Updated 01:04 am IST - BENGALURU

The Indian Space Research Organisation smells big business from its upcoming small satellite launch vehicle (SSLV) and is talking with industry to produce it in large numbers, ISRO Chairman K. Sivan has said.

“For ISRO and [business arm] Antrix Corporation, the SSLV will be the biggest activity. Its production will be done right from the beginning with industry. Our Capacity Building office has initiated talks with old industry partners such as L&T, Godrej, HAL, and Walchandnagar Industries,” he said at a news conference on Wednesday.

Antrix Corporation CMD Rakesh Sasibhushan said they would need 50 to 60 SSLVs a year, considering the global demand for launching small satellites for customers. “We will be able to hit a business of ₹1,500 crore to ₹2,000 crore from it, even if it is priced competitively.”

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ISRO and Antrix are seriously weighing options of roping in suitable manufacturers of the SSLV. Should Antrix hire a consultant and put out an RFQ (request for quotation) to industry? Should it zero in on a current major industry supplying to their PSLV and GSLV programmes? Should it go in for a joint venture? These were some ideas Mr. Sasibhushan told this newspaper after announcing next week’s space business expo and conference in Bengaluru.

The SSLV is designed for putting small satellites up to 600 kg to space orbits close to Earth. It can be produced by a handful of people in around three days, ISRO says. After the first trials are conducted around mid-2019, ISRO wants the industry to fully produce the SSLVs and deliver them in time.

Many big satellite operators plan to send to space totally a few thousand satellites, either in groups or as large constellations. They would be used for earth observation, broadband communication or military requirements. Indian industry can capture a chunk of the global demand, estimated at $1.8 billion a year, according to Mr. Sasibhushan.

In comparison, the bigger older PSLV, in business since 1999, earned ₹250 crore last year. Antrix has upcoming and signed launch contracts worth ₹900 crore and is discussing others worth ₹500 crore, he said.

Dr. Sivan said they now have a model for entrusting the PSLV to a group of partner industries. “It is possible to produce a PSLV through a consortium within a year from now,” he said.

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