NewSpace India Limited

NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) is a Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) of the Government of India and under Department of Space.^[4] NSIL is responsible for producing, assembling and integrating the launch vehicle with the help of industry consortium. It was established on 6 March 2019 under the administrative control of the Department of Space (DoS) and the Company Act 2013. The main objective of NSIL is to scale up private sector participation in Indian space programmes.^[5][6][7]

NewSpace India Limited (NSIL)

Company type	Public Sector Undertaking
Industry	Aerospace Communications
Founded	6 March 2019; 5 years ago (2019-03-06) [1]
Headquarters	HFSC Building, ISRO HQ, New BEL Road, Bengaluru, Karnataka , India
Key people	Radhakrishnan Durairaj (CMD) A. Arunachalam (Director, Technical & Strategy) [2]
Services	Transponder provisioning Satellite launch Spacecraft and Subsystems Mission Support Ground Infrastructure for Space based Needs
Owner	Department of Space (DoS) [3]
Website	nsilindia.co.in

Objectives

NSIL was setup with the following objectives:^[8]

• Transfer of Small Satellite technology to industry: NSIL will obtain license from DoS/ISRO and sub-license the same to industry
• Manufacture of Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) in collaboration with private sector
• Production of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) through Indian industry
• Production and marketing of Space-based products and services, including launch and application
• Transfer of technology developed by ISRO Centres and constituent units of DoS
• Marketing of spin-off technologies and products/services, both in India and abroad

Contracts

In 2022, NSIL executed a contract with OneWeb to launch 36 satellites to low Earth orbit for their satellite internet constellation. NSIL again successfully deployed another set of 36 OneWeb satellites on 26 March 2023.^[9][10][11]

The Ministry of Defence signed a ₹3,000-crore agreement with NSIL, a subsidiary of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), for the procurement of the advanced communication satellite, GSAT 7B, to meet the requirements of the Indian Army.^[4][12]

An agreement was reached between NSIL and Arianespace for a long-term collaboration to enable satellite launch missions. As part of the Memorandum of Understanding, Ariane 6 of Arianespace and the heavy lift launch vehicle LVM3 of ISRO will answer the demand for launching larger communication or earth observation satellites as well as satellites for mega constellations, thereby satisfying the needs of the global launch service market.^[13]

A launch service agreement has been signed by Space Machines Company and NSIL on 26 June 2024 for the launch of second Optimus spacecraft aboard the SSLV in 2026. The mission will tackle the issue of space debris piling up around Earth, which poses a threat to astronaut safety as well as upcoming space missions. The mission is a component of the International Space Investment India Projects program and is supported by Australian Space Agency with grant of $8.5 million.^[14]

On October 9, 2024, Bellatrix Aerospace and NewSpace India Limited signed a contract for the integration of Pushpak Orbital Transfer Vehicle (OTV) for NSIL's launch missions. With the ability to move satellites into other orbits with more accuracy and efficiency, Pushpak OTV is made for in-orbit maneuvering. Additionally, it can facilitate future deep space missions, inclination changes, GEO transfer missions, and multi-orbit deployment sequences. Pushpak OTV to assist small satellites and CubeSats to reach their designated orbits. The first launch with Pushpak OTV integrated into an ISRO rocket is expected to be in early 2026.^[15][16]

References

• Spaceflight portal

1. "New Company for Commercial Exploitation of Research and Development (Under The Company Act 2013)". 27 June 2019. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
2. "NSIL functional directors". Archived from the original on 15 July 2020. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
3. "NSIL About Us". Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
4. "Army set to get its own satellite worth ₹3,000 crore by 2026". Hindustan Times. 29 March 2023. Archived from the original on 8 June 2023. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
5. "ISRO's new commercial arm NewSpace India officially inaugurated". smartinvestisor.business-standard.com. The Smart Investor. 27 August 2019. Archived from the original on 27 August 2019. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
6. "NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) - ISRO". www.isro.gov.in. Archived from the original on 19 March 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
7. Narasimhan, T. E. (5 July 2019). "Budget 2019: FM hikes Dept of Space outlay, pushes for commercialisation". Business Standard India. Archived from the original on 27 August 2019. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
8. "NewSpace India Limited". Press Information Bureau, Government of India. 24 July 2019. Archived from the original on 26 August 2019. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
9. "Successful launch of 36 OneWeb Satellites with ISRO/NSIL marks key milestone to enable global connectivity". OneWeb. 27 March 2023. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
10. "PM Modi congratulates ISRO for launch of 36 satellites". Hindustan Times. 26 March 2023. Archived from the original on 26 May 2023. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
11. Kandavel, Sangeetha (26 March 2023). "ISRO puts 36 OneWeb satellites in orbit". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 7 June 2023. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
12. "Ministry of Defence signs 3 contracts worth Rs 5,400 crore to boost defence capabilities". India Today. 30 March 2023. Archived from the original on 10 April 2023. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
13. "NSIL signs MoU with French company for long-term partnership to support satellite launch missions". The Hindu. 31 January 2024. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
14. "Isro's arm NSIL to launch largest-ever Australian sat with its new rocket". The Times of India. 27 June 2024. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
15. Kumar, Chethan (9 October 2024). "Bengaluru firm Bellatrix's Orbital transfer vehicle to be integrated in Nsil launch missions". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
16. John, Nirmal (9 October 2024). "Isro's commercial arm NSIL onboards Pushpak for faster, cheaper satellite placement". The Economic Times. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 16 October 2024.