ISRO transfers satellite bus technology to Bengaluru-based private firm

ISRO has transferred the IMS-1 satellite bus technology to Bengaluru-based Alpha Design Technologies, bringing in a new era of increased private industry participation in India's space sector.

The agreement for the transfer being signed at NSIL headquarters on Wednesday. (ISRO)

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The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Friday announced that it began transferring IMS-1 Satellite Bus technology to Alpha Design Technologies, a Bengaluru-based private company. The transfer was facilitated by ISRO’s commercial arm NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) through an agreement that was signed on Wednesday.

This technology signals the beginning of increased private participation in the Indian space industry. The IMS-1 satellite bus was developed by the UR Rao Satellite Centre and is a small satellite platform designed to enable low-cost access to space. The bus can serve as a dedicated vehicle for many different payloads, facilitating Earth imaging, ocean and atmospheric studies, microwave remote sensing and space science missions.

ISRO begins transferring Satellite Bus Technology to Indian Private Industry

ISRO transferred the IMS-1 Satellite Bus Technology to M/S Alpha Design Technologies Pvt. Ltd. @NSIL_India facilitated the transfer. https://t.co/I7x7sX8MPj

Details on the technologies ready for… pic.twitter.com/IO4MHEoaiz

— ISRO (@isro) August 5, 2023

The IMS-1 bus weighs about 100 kilograms and can carry a 30-kilogram payload. The solar arrays onboard generate 330 watts of power. It comes with four reaction wheels with a 1 Newton thruster that is good for pointing accuracy with an accuracy threshold of 0.1 Degrees. It was used in previous ISRO missions like IMS-1, Youthsat and Microsat-2D.

By transferring technologies like IMS-1, ISRO and the Department of Space hope to strengthen industrial growth in the space sector by making it easier for private companies to build and deploy space technology solutions.

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