In New Era In Private Spaceflight, HAL To Operate Small Indian Rockets

New Delhi:

In addition to making fighter planes, now Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) will also own and operate small Indian rockets.

Space regulator Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) has announced the transfer of the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) technology to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Bengaluru, in a big development for India’s space sector. The announcement was made by Dr Pawan K Goenka, Chairman of IN-SPACe.

Dr Goenka emphasised the importance of this technology transfer, highlighting that HAL will now be responsible for manufacturing, marketing, and launching SSLV rockets independently on a commercial basis, after a two-year handholding by the Indian Space Research Organisatuion (ISRO).

This marks a departure from previous practices where rockets were made on behalf of ISRO or its commercial arm, the New Space India Limited (NSIL). The transfer aims to empower HAL to operate as a commercial entity in the global small satellite launch market.

The selection process for the technology transfer involved a rigorous two-stage evaluation. Initially, six out of nine industries were shortlisted based on stringent eligibility criteria.

In the second stage, three industries, Alpha Design Technologies Ltd., Bengaluru (leading a consortium with Agnikul Cosmos & Walchand Industries Ltd.); Bharat Dynamics Ltd., Hyderabad (leading a consortium with Skyroot Aerospace, Keltron & BHEL); and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd., Bengaluru (applying independently, not as part of a consortium) submitted techno-commercial bids. After thorough evaluation, HAL emerged as the winner with the highest bid of Rs 511 crore.