Even before 1st industry PSLV flies, IN-SPACe offers full PSLV tech transfer

BENGALURU: Nearly four years after space PSU NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) awarded the first private-sector contract worth Rs 860-crore to manufacture five Polar Satellite Launch Vehicles (PSLVs), space regulator Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) is offering full transfer of technology (ToT) of the rocket to industry.

If the industry takes up on the offer, this will be the second rocket developed by Isro whose technology will be transferred. Last year, IN-SPACe completed the ToT for Isro’s Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV).

The PSLV ToT move is striking because the first PSLV being manufactured under the earlier industry contract awarded to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited-Larsen & Toubro (HAL-L&T) consortium in 2022 by NSIL is yet to launch. The first rocket was to be ready in 24 months, but it has been nearly double that time.

In its EoI accessed by TOI, IN-SPACe said: the technology transfer is aimed at enabling Indian industry to “realise, operate and commercialise PSLV launches in the global medium-lift satellite market”. As per IN-SPACe: “To ensure seamless technology absorption, infrastructural and hand-holding support will be provided by Isro for a ‘defined period’ of 30 months or until realisation and launch of two PSLV vehicles by the selected party, whichever is earlier.”

The EoI is restricted to Indian-owned non-govt entities with significant industrial and aerospace capability. Eligible firms must have at least seven years of operations, five years of space or aerospace experience, and either an average turnover above Rs 400 crore or a valuation exceeding Rs 1,000 crore.

At the time of NSIL’s 2022 contract, officials had described the arrangement as a gradual outsourcing model. The rocket’s stages would increasingly be realised by industry, even though sensitive systems such as separation mechanisms, inertial systems and mission operations would continue under Isro oversight during the initial phase.

The PSLV EoI raises questions of industry readiness to build and operate rockets. While the consortium’s first PSLV has not yet flown, a similar pattern appears to be visible with the SSLV programme: Nearly a year ago, HAL won the full ToT bid at Rs 511 crore, becoming the first Indian company to receive complete launch vehicle technology from Isro.

Unlike the PSLV manufacturing contract, the SSLV deal gives HAL ownership of the rocket after the technology absorption phase. The company is expected to build, market and launch SSLV missions independently after initial support from Isro and IN-SPACe.

But the first HAL-operated SSLV launch is not even close to being ready. The PSLV remains India’s most dependable launcher, with more than 50 missions since its first flight in 1993. It has launched major missions including Chandrayaan-1, the Mars Orbiter Mission and Astrosat, besides deploying hundreds of foreign satellites.

For India’s space sector reforms, the latest EoI signals that the govt wants to accelerate the transition from an Isro-led production model to an industry-driven launch ecosystem. Yet the slow progress of the first two privatisation experiments — PSLV manufacturing and SSLV technology transfer — also highlights the complexity involved in moving launch vehicle capability from a state-run programme into commercial hands.