When Shri S. Somanath assumed the chairmanship of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) last January, he took over a space agency that had been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. ISRO conducted only four launches in 2020-21, one of which failed. The pandemic had wrecked an ambitious plan to launch Indian astronauts into orbit before the 75th anniversary of the nation’s independence from Britain in August 2022.
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India’s leading aerospace and defense manufacturer, Ananth Technologies Private Limited (ANANTH), opened a satellite manufacturing facility last week. Siliconindia reports:
This is the first spacecraft assembly, integration and testing facility in the private sector.
The state-of-the-art facility was inaugurated by S. Somanath, Chairman and Secretary, Department of Space at Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
Located at Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board Aerospace Park, Bengaluru, the new establishment is equipped with clean rooms for spacecraft sub-systems manufacturing and is large enough to cater to four spacecraft simultaneously.
Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, S. Somanath said, “At ISRO, our objective is not just to pursue space science research and planetary exploration, it is also to harness space technology for the nation’s development.”
VILNIUS, Lithuania (NanoAvionics PR) — NanoAvionics, a multinational nanosatellite mission integrator, has signed a partnership agreement with Ananth Technologies Ltd (ATL) which marks NanoAvionics’ entry into India’s growing NewSpace industry.
The agreement makes Ananth Technologies the official distributor of NanoAvionics’ products and services in India, giving companies one stop access to cost-effective small, micro and nanosatellites including subsystems. The local access will save them time and cost for assembly, integration and test of at Ananth’s facilities in Hyderabad and Bengaluru.
Customers will also have access to low-cost launch service, using ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), and post launch operation services. In addition, this partnership between NanoAvionics and Ananth Technologies is going to foster relationships with Indian research institutions and suppliers.
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