'Satellite Bus As A Service': IN-SPACe Invites Private Firms To Develop Small Satellite Bus Platforms For Hosted Payload Services

The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) has invited applications from private companies to design and build satellite-bus platforms to reduce reliance on imports, Business Standard reported.

According to IN-SPACe, the 'Satellite Bus as a Service (SBaaS)' initiative will allow Indian private players to design and develop small satellite bus platforms for hosted payload applications.

"Hosted payload service is an innovative solution, providing a cost-effective and efficient way for NGEs (including startups, MSME, large industries, academic institutions and govt. agencies) to access space," IN-SPACe said in a statement.

These services allow multiple users to share a single platform by integrating different payloads into one spacecraft, it added.

"IN-SPACe has hence taken an initiative to aide private industries to undertake satellite bus manufacturing in India catering to hosted payload services and eventually become global spacecraft bus provider," the agency said.

The agency has released an Announcement of Opportunity (AO), inviting Indian non-governmental entities (NGEi) to indigenously design, develop and realise small satellite bus for providing hosted payload services.

IN-SPACe has proposed to realise “Satellite Bus as a Service” in two phases:

• In Phase I, up to four Indian NGEs will be shortlisted based on their technical capabilities to develop a modular, multi-mission satellite bus system.

• In Phase II, IN-SPACe will support up to two hosted payload missions to demonstrate the utility of these platforms.

The effort is aimed at easing access to flight platforms, reducing time to orbit, and enabling in-orbit demonstration for payload developers.

Formed in June 2020, IN-SPACe was established after the central government's move to open the space sector to private players across a range of activities.

Operating as an autonomous agency under the Department of Space (DOS), IN-SPACe functions as a single window nodal agency for promoting, enabling, authorising and supervising space-related activities by Non-Governmental Entities (NGEs) in India.

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