L&T, Godrej, HAL, Isro to sign pact to build PSLV rockets

[Paranoid Android]

PSLV C38, carrying Cartosat-2 and 30 other satellites, lifts off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, on June 23. Photo: Reuters

Larsen & Toubro, Godrej and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd will join a consortium, being put together by Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro), to build Polar Satellite Launch Vehicles (PSLVs).

The vehicles will launch small satellites, and the first launch is being planned by 2020. A pact is to be signed by January for this initiative, said a source.

India’s space agency, which has designed the rocket, has been building and launching satellites, including probes for the moon and Mars missions, on its own. It has more work on its plate to meet the country’s requirement of building heavier rockets and reusable spacecraft that can carry bigger satellites and a capsule that will eventually put a man in space.

There is a huge spurt in demand to launch smaller satellites, those as light as 1 kg, with a lifespan of two to three years. But there aren’t enough rockets to carry these.

The PSLV, following its successful 104 satellite launch in February, has emerged as a preferred vehicle for small satellite launches globally.

SpaceWorks, a US satellite researcher, estimates that about 2,400 nano and microsatellites are expected to be launched between 2017 and 2023. The latest forecast says nearly 60 per cent of the satellites planned are from private players, against 40 per cent in the five years to 2016.

Isro says India is a sweet spot to tap this opportunity. It is gearing up to allow private players that have built systems and components for its space programme to completely integrate rockets. This way, these players can meet local requirement and offer an integrated service of building satellites, launch these for global customers on Indian soil and also manage these as a service.

For this, a company is being formed with Antrix, the commercial arm of Isro, as an anchor but with a larger stake for private players. L&T, which builds equipment for rockets and satellites, Godrej that makes the Vikas engines for the PSLV, and HAL which makes its composite frame will be the main partners.

An Isro spokesperson could not comment immediately on the development of the pact.

Godrej Aerospace produces Vikas — the rocket engine that powers the PSLV and the heavier geo-synchronous satellite launch vehicle (GSLV) — besides various systems such as antennas and thrusters for satellites of Isro. The firm has expressed interest to be part of the consortium.

“It is at a very nascent stage right now, the discussions are going on how to form a consortium and who will do what,” said Jamshyd N Godrej, chairman of Godrej & Boyce in an interview in September. “If you have to really develop a major aerospace industry in India, you need all these building blocks. Companies with different expertise have to come together, otherwise it will be difficult.”


http://www.business-standard.com/ar...act-to-build-pslv-rockets-117103000030_1.html

 

[Indika]

good thing, ISRO should outsource as much as possible and create a big market.
They should focus on critical projects.

 

[axisofevil]

Awesome news...

 

[Nilgiri]

good thing, ISRO should outsource as much as possible and create a big market.
They should focus on critical projects.

Yah, ISRO should focus on design, research and integration to push frontier at fastest possible rate while good private engineering firms fill up the nuts and bolts delivery behind that and build up their own space heritages. Indian space industry has come of age to broaden and not have just one organisation do everything (ISRO already outsourcing components for a while, but time to take larger leaps on the level where possible with better available industrial maturity these days).

Hopefully over time a spaceX style company or two can spring up in India...that does its own full scale vertical structure from beginning to end for more competition in market.

@anant_s

 

[Indika]

Yah, ISRO should focus on design, research and integration to push frontier at fastest possible rate while good private engineering firms fill up the nuts and bolts delivery behind that and build up their own space heritages. Indian space industry has come of age to broaden and not have just one organisation do everything (ISRO already outsourcing components for a while, but time to take larger leaps on the level where possible with better available industrial maturity these days).

Hopefully over time a spaceX style company or two can spring up in India...that does its own full scale vertical structure from beginning to end for more competition in market.

@anant_s

yup the fact is India has a lot of talent and a big market. We unnecessarily put a constraint on ourselves. If ISRO focuses on R&D and local industries start absorbing technology it will not only make it economical to produce but also make local industries competitive in the international market.

In fact over period of time once market becomes mature local industry will be able to source talent better than ISRO and we will be able to realize our true potential.

 

[Nilgiri]

yup the fact is India has a lot of talent and a big market. We unnecessarily put a constraint on ourselves. If ISRO focuses on R&D and local industries start absorbing technology it will not only make it economical to produce but also make local industries competitive in the international market.

In fact over period of time once market becomes mature local industry will be able to source talent better than ISRO and we will be able to realize our true potential.

It really should be the model for all PSU style organisations (for high tech/military), whether they be successful or not (if they not successful already, this is the only way to get them to be).

HAL, OFB etc, just make them design/frontier/RnD oriented and everything else should be private defense firm for large scale realised production.

Notion of PSU grabbing every piece of the pie just to protect a small quantum of over-unionised jobs (which breeds inefficiency and corruption) must be left to die in the cold war ideology it got set up in. Argument for market failure to be subsidised by govt in current environment i believe only extends to RnD frontier activities (about maybe 10 - 20% of total manhours commited in project). Rest of 80 - 90% should not be subsidized and insulated at all....of course have the relevant standards and QC in play for technology IPR, security, quality etc.

 

[anant_s]

good private engineering firms

I've had the good fortune of visiting Godrej & Boyce at their Vikhroli facility and was mighty impressed with their state of the machining and fabrication facilities. Defence and Aerospace is just sector where such high end facilities are being used. G&B are also giving valuable contribution for Nuclear sector.
We can be mighty proud of such Indian companies who have invested in R&D and development of such facilities forecasting future.