The commercial division of ISRO, India’s Space PSU NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), is starting a major project to engage private sector companies in the construction of an extensive ground station network for low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite operations throughout mainland India.
About 25 dual-band and tri-band antennas that can function in the S/X/Ka bands will make up this network, which will provide satellite data download, telemetry, and tracking, command (TTC) functions. Critical satellite communication functions will be facilitated by the ground stations’ full motion antenna systems and sophisticated, high-efficiency shaped reflector Cassegrain geometry antennas.
According to the project’s phased execution plan, the first two antenna systems should be erected within a year of the contract being awarded, and the project would be finished in 20 months.
This project supports the growing space program and is in line with NSIL’s overarching plan to improve India’s ground segment solutions and satellite communication capabilities. To ensure that only competent private companies participate, the project’s tender has stringent eligibility requirements for bidders, such as ISO-9001:2015 accreditation and a track record of completing comparable projects of considerable value.
The decision to enlist private companies to build ground station infrastructure supports the Indian government’s goal of raising the nation’s market share in international commercial space from 2% to 8% by 2033. It also represents IN-SPACe’s regulatory and marketing initiatives, which aim to provide ground stations as a service (GSaaS) in order to open India’s space ground operations to private organisations.
Pay-per-use satellite control, telemetry and tracking, space data receiving, and space situational awareness are all included in this service model.
Private companies, however, must contend with issues like ambiguous laws, high component costs, licensing, financial needs, and spectrum distribution. In order to address issues, IN-SPACe is suggesting expedited regulatory procedures, ISRO technology transfer, testing facility access, and assistance with market access.
NSIL has previously helped private enterprises transfer technology. For example, it has helped start-ups like Dhruva Space and Alpha Design Technologies construct satellite platforms and ground station solutions by transferring the Indian Mini Satellite-1 (IMS-1) bus technology. This technology transfer is a component of NSIL’s mission to promote private sector expansion in space research and exploration and commercialise ISRO-developed technologies.
In order to increase India’s space infrastructure capabilities, encourage private sector involvement, and support the nation’s aspirations in the global space economy through cutting-edge satellite communication and operational support systems, NSIL has partnered with private companies to establish a nationwide ground station network.
