IN-SPACe to encourage private companies to design, develop satellite-bus platforms

New Delhi | India's space promoter, IN-SPACe, on Saturday said it would encourage private companies to design and develop satellite-bus platforms to reduce import dependence.

The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) announced a new opportunity for Indian Non-Governmental Entities (NGEs) under the Satellite Bus as a Service (SBaaS) initiative to provide a pathway to design and develop small satellite-bus platforms for hosted-payload applications.

"By enabling NGEs with this opportunity, we are aiming to push innovation, and reduce our reliance on imports. Together, we are looking at making India a global service provider of small satellite-bus and hosted-payload services," Pawan Kumar Goenka, Chairman, INSPACe, said in a statement.

A satellite bus is the standardised, modular structure or framework that forms the core of a satellite. It carries and supports the primary systems and subsystems required for the satellite's operation, while the payload is attached to the bus.

As part of the initiative, IN-SPACe will support the realisation of satellite-bus platforms through a two-phase approach.

In the first phase, up to four Indian NGEs will be shortlisted based on their technical capabilities to develop a modular, multi-mission satellite-bus system.

In the second phase, IN-SPACe will support up to two hosted-payload missions to demonstrate the utility of these platforms, the statement said.

The space sector promoter has invited applications from eligible Indian NGEs to undertake the design, development and realisation of small satellite-bus systems capable of supporting multiple payloads.

"SBaaS is designed to bridge the gap between payload developers and satellite platforms. By providing a standardised, modular bus platform, we offer a cost-effective solution for in-orbit validation of diverse payloads," Rajeev Jyoti, Director, Technical Directorate at IN-SPACe, said.

He said this initiative will accelerate the development cycle for emerging technologies and enhance India's capabilities in delivering end-to-end space solutions.

The NGEs have time till May 15 to register to access the announcement of opportunity document. The last date for submission of proposals is June 23.