Aditya-L1 launch fires up funding prospects for private space companies

With solar mission's successful launch, they have a day in the sun

The successful launch of Aditya-L1 -- the country’s maiden mission to study the Sun – is expected to garner increased investor interest in the Indian space sector and trigger more funding for private players. Several private sector players, including Larsen & Toubro (L&T), MTAR Technologies, and Ananth Technologies, have played a pivotal role in the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (Isro’s) solar observatory mission.

Aditya-L1 on Saturday set off on a 125-day journey on a PSLV-C57 rocket, in its attempt to study various elements relating to the nearest star from the halo orbit around Lagrange point 1 (L1) of the Sun-Earth system, which is about 1.5 million km from Earth. This distance represents only 1 per cent of the total 150 million km between Earth and the Sun.

Many institutes, such as the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), the Department of Science and Technology, and the European Space Agency (ESA) have also contributed to this historic mission, which comes days after Chandrayaan-3’s lander Vikram became the first to successfully touch down on lunar soil near the Moon’s south pole.

“Congratulations, the Aditya L1 spacecraft has been injected (into an intermediate orbit)," said Isro chairman S Somnath on Saturday, announcing the launch’s success.

This marked another success story for the Indian space ecosystem that played a crucial part in the success of Chandrayaan-3.

According to A K Bhatt, director general, Indian Space Association (ISpA), “This achievement follows the Chandrayaan-3 mission, marking another significant milestone for India's space sector. It not only reaffirms India's capabilities in space exploration but will establish trust in our private sector's ability to collaborate internationally and contribute to the global space industry. These successes will also further enhance funding prospects for our private space companies.”

L&T, which was involved in nearly every aspect of India’s latest lunar mission, provided several key components for the solar mission, too. “We are privileged to partner with Isro for India’s first solar mission -- Aditya L1 -- for which L&T has contributed critical space-grade hardware, backed by its engineering skill, manufacturing prowess and trained workforce. We at L&T are proud of our five-decade-long partnership with Isro,” said A T Ramchandani, executive vice-president and head, L&T Defence. It is also part of the Gaganyaan mission, which seeks to demonstrate Isro’s human spaceflight capability.

The Aditya-L1 mission was launched by a 44.4-metre tall polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV), India's reliable workhorse in the space sector. Of the 91 launches conducted by Isro, 59 used PSLV rockets. Though the actual cost of the mission is unknown, the government allocated around $48 million for it. This was the first time that the upper stage of the PSLV conducted two burning sequences.

Hyderabad-based Ananth Technologies (ATL), with its extensive experience in satellite systems design, development and integration, played a pivotal role in the Aditya-L1 programme. In the Aditya-L1 mission, ATL played a crucial role by manufacturing numerous avionics packages. These packages encompass a wide array of components, including onboard computers, star sensor, modular EED systems, and payload DC-DC converters.

For PSLV-C57 launch vehicle, ATL supplied 48 subsystems, such as tracking transponder and various other interface units, and carried out complete assembly, integration and testing (AIT). The PSLV-C57 is the seventh launch vehicle successfully integrated by the ATL team, and five more launch vehicles are currently under integration. “This partnership represents a significant milestone for us, as we contribute our technical excellence and manufacturing to support India's space exploration endeavours,” said Subba Rao Pavuluri, chairman and managing director of ATL.

“Tremendous growth achieved in the Indian space sector is the result of hard work from all the scientists of Isro. MTAR is proud to be a key contributor in all the launches of Isro. We have supplied major systems, such as Vikas engines, electro-pneumatic modules, valves, safety couplers, and nose cone for the PSLV-C57 launch vehicle used for the mission," said Parvat Srinivas Reddy, managing director, MTAR Technologies.

Through the mission, Isro will join the elite league of space agencies, including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and the ESA, to have a separate mission to study the Sun. In 2021, Nasa made history by sending the first human-made object to as close as 7.5 million km of the Sun.