The Indian Space Promotion and Authorization Center (IN-SPACe) has started licensing Indian private companies, marking the start of launches for India’s private space sector.
IN-SPACe is an autonomous single window nodal agency; established to facilitate, authorize, monitor and supervise the space activities of Indian Non-Government Private Entities (NGPEs).
Dhruva Space, Hyderabad and Digantara research & technologies Bengaluru were authorized by IN-SPACe to launch their payloads on June 24.
Dhruva Space’s Dhruva Space Satellite Orbital Deployer (DSOD 1U) technology demonstration payload and Digantara’s ROBust Integrating Proton Fluence Meter (ROBI) proton dosimeter payload have been authorized, IN-SPACe said in a statement on Monday.
The payload will be carried on board the PSLV Orbital Experiment Module (POEM) of PSLV-C53, scheduled for launch on June 30.
“The first two launch authorizations issued by IN-SPACe is a major milestone and marks the start of launches in India’s private space sector,” said IN-SPACe Chairman Pawan Kumar Goenka.
Dhruva Space is a space technology startup focused on building full-stack space engineering solutions, participating in building application-agnostic satellite platforms.
Digantara research and technologies, through its space situational awareness sensor network, platform and data products, develops end-to-end solutions focused on safe and sustainable space operations.
PSLV-C53, ISRO’s 55th mission, is scheduled to launch from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota at 18:00 USST on June 30.
According to Goenka, Digantara will launch a weather satellite to monitor the weather from space using their patented technology.
Dhruva Space will test its satellite deployer technology, which could be deployed for international customers in the future, he said.
“This is only the beginning of exciting times ahead for the Indian space sector. IN-SPACe is delighted to facilitate private sector participation in this journey,” added Goenka.
Dhruva Space CEO Sanjay Nekkanti’s PSLV C53 mission is a major milestone in his entrepreneurial journey.
“This mission will demonstrate an internally developed CubeSat deployer ahead of the launch of our satellite missions Thybolt-1 and Thybolt-2 on the PSLV C54 mission. It will also enable Dhruva Space to support international customers with the CubeSat deployer, integration and launch services, “He said.
“To achieve Digantara’s goal of providing accurate orbital insight to ensure continued safe space operations, government support will play a key role in accelerating innovation. This launch is a great example of how this support can accelerate innovation,” said CEO and Co-founder Digantara, Anirudha N Sharma said.
In parallel, ISRO’s National Remote Sensing Center (NRSC) organized a three-day training course on the utilization of the “Bhuvan” portal.
Bhuvan is ISRO’s Geoportal Platform. It offers a wide range of services including satellite data visualization, thematic maps, queries and analytics, free data downloads and products, near real-time disaster services, crowdsourcing applications and various geospatial applications.
It also supports ministries with G-Governance app.
“The training is free, webinar-based, and is scheduled for July 12-14, 2022. It aims to benefit undergraduate and graduate students, professionals in government organizations, start-ups, private companies, etc., ’ said an ISRO statement.