Bellatrix Aerospace and NSIL sign MoU to possibly integrate Bellatrix’ OTV in NSIL’s Launch missions

NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), a Government of India (GoI) company under Department of Space (DoS) and the commercial arm of ISRO and Bellatrix Aerospace signed an MoU at the Bangalore Space Expo 2024. The partnership will see the integration of Bellatrix’s Pushpak Orbital Transfer Vehicle (OTV) in NSIL’s launch missions.

The Pushpak OTV, a versatile multi-mission spacecraft designed by Bellatrix for in-orbit maneuverings, with the flexibility to deploy satellites into various orbits with greater precision and efficiency. This partnership will enable more complex space missions involving multi-orbit deployment sequences, inclination change, GEO transfer missions and future deep space missions.

D Radhakrishnan, CMD of NSIL said, “We are happy to support Bellatrix Aerospace in launching their OTV module to enhance launch options for rideshare customers.”

Rohan M Ganapathy, Co-Founder, CEO & CTO of Bellatrix Aerospace, expressed his enthusiasm for the collaboration, stating, “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. We are honoured to partner with NSIL, and this will further help us together capture a larger global market.”

Yashas Karanam, Co-Founder and COO of Bellatrix Aerospace, commented, “This marks 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. 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.”

The MoU underscores the increasing role of public-private partnerships in driving innovation and enhancing the Indian space sector’s competitiveness in the global stage. As part of Space Sector reforms announced by the Government of India during June 2020, NSIL is striving towards enabling enhanced participation of Indian companies in the Indian space ecosystem.