Article Posted on : - Oct 10, 2024

NEW DELHI (PTI): Bengaluru-based space start-up Bellatrix Aerospace on Wednesday said it will supply its home-built orbital transfer vehicle – Pushpak – for integration with future launch missions of ISRO's commercial arm NewSpace India Limited.

The Pushpak OTV is a versatile multi-mission spacecraft designed by Bellatrix for in-orbit manoeuvrings, with the flexibility to deploy satellites into various orbits with greater precision and efficiency, a company release said.

Bellatrix's partnership with the NSIL will enable more complex space missions involving multi-orbit deployment sequences, inclination change, GEO transfer missions and future deep space missions, it said.

"We are happy to support Bellatrix Aerospace in launching their OTV module to enhance launch options for rideshare customers," D Radhakrishnan, Chairman-cum-Managing Director of NSIL said.

The Memorandum of Understanding between NSIL and Bellatrix Aerospace was signed at the Bangalore Space Expo 2024.

"The global market for rideshare missions is picking up and gaining traction in the global space industry. Due to varied mission requirements, it is challenging to accommodate multiple customer payloads on a single launch vehicle, forcing satellite operators to either wait for a favourable launch opportunity or opt for an expensive dedicated launch," Rohan M Ganapathy, co-founder and CEO of Bellatrix Aerospace said.

Yashas Karanam, co-founder and COO of Bellatrix Aerospace said the tie-up with NSIL marked a major step forward in public-private partnerships, where the strengths of both players complement each other to deliver a timely and innovative solution for the rapidly expanding satellite industry.

"As part of our Orbital Transfer Vehicle (OTV) solutions, we offer two models. Deployment as a service and hosting as a service. The deployment model accelerates the launch process, enabling satellite operators to generate revenue faster," Karanam said.

"Meanwhile, our hosting service caters to those who can't afford an entire satellite bus for scientific or technology experiments. Our OTV is designed to function as a satellite itself, hosting third-party payloads, significantly reducing costs for payload owners while ensuring mission success," he said.