IN-SPACe, ISRO to meet 20 cos that make small rockets

Chennai Officials of the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will meet representatives of about 20 companies interested in making a small rocket on August 8, a top official confirmed.

IN-SPACe is the regulator for private players in the Indian space sector and ISRO is the Indian space agency.

Recently it had had announced the ISRO’s decision to transfer the technology for making the small rocket or Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) to private companies.

“Twenty companies have applied. Consortium formation will be known only when they submit the EOI (Expression of Interest),” IN-SPACe chairman Pawan Goenka said.

“We are having a pre-EOI meeting on 8th (August) where ISRO and IN-SPACe teams will interact with all the applicants and based on the interaction we may fine tune the EOI,” Goenka added. As per the conditions put out earlier, the interested private players or the leader of the consortium should have a minimum turnover of Rs 400 crore and be profitable.

The respondents should be in operation for a period not less than seven years and have at least five years manufacturing experience, thus excluding new age rocket startups if interested to bid alone.

The Intellectual Property Rights of the SSLV configuration considered for transfer of technology shall continue to be owned by ISRO.

However non-exclusive and non-transferable license of the rocket technology will be given to the selected party. The SSLV designed and developed by ISRO has a payload capacity of 500 kg and is powered by solid fuel. As per IN-SPACe, the technology to make SSLV will be transferred only to Indian private industries.

To the question how IN-SPACe is getting involved in the transfer of technology as the technology is owned by ISRO which already has a commercial arm by name NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL) a senior official of ISRO told IANS: "The contract will be with NSIL. INSPACe is facilitating the deal as per their mandate."

The Indian space agency has flown the rocket twice with satellites.