The way is being opened for private companies to design and develop satellite-bus platforms in the country. This will help a lot in reducing dependence on imports. The Space Regulatory Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Center (IN-Space) said in a statement that the new initiative launched under the name Satellite Bus Age A Service aims to help private companies working in the space sector to help the small satellite bus platform design and develop for the hosted payload app.
Under this program, the in-space will support companies for the construction of satellite bus platforms in two phases. In the first phase, four Indian non-governmental institutions will be selected based on their technical abilities to develop a modular, multi-mission satellite bus system. In the second phase, two hosted payload missions will be helped to showcase the utility of the platform.
Through this initiative, the in-space invites applications from eligible agencies to design, grow and manufacture small satellites capable of launching multiple payloads. Commenting on the government’s statement, the president of the in-space Pawan Goenka said, “Satellite bus age a service initiative is an important step towards providing equal opportunities to all the space programs of the country. By opening doors for non-government companies in this area, we are emphasizing on promoting innovation and reducing dependence on imports. With this, we are expecting the country to make the country a global service provider of small satellite buses and hosted payload services in collaboration with both government and private sectors.
The government wants that through this, along with easy access to flight platforms, the time taken in the classroom should be reduced and the payload developers are able to perform in-arbitra. In the in-space, Director of the Technical Director Rajiv Jyoti said, ‘Satellite bus age a service is designed to bridge the gap between payload developers and satellite platforms. By providing a standardized, modular simply platform, we provide an affordable solution for in-arbit verification of diverse payloads. This initiative will speed up the development cycle of emerging technologies and the country’s capacity will increase in providing all kinds of facilities related to the space sector.
In June 2020, an in-space was formed in June 2020 following the Central Government’s decision to open the space sector for private companies and ensure participation in the activities related to it. The in-space serves as a single-window, independent and nodal agency to resolve various issues such as promoting various space activities of non-government companies working in the space sector, enabling, authorizing and supervising them in the field. It acts as an autonomous agency in the Space Department.
First Published – April 27, 2025 | 10:36 pm IST
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