In New Era In Private Spaceflight, HAL To Operate Small Indian Rockets

In addition to making fighter planes, now Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) will also own and operate small Indian rockets.

Space regulator Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) has announced the transfer of the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) technology to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Bengaluru, in a big development for India's space sector. The announcement was made by Dr Pawan K Goenka, Chairman of IN-SPACe.

Dr Goenka emphasised the importance of this technology transfer, highlighting that HAL will now be responsible for manufacturing, marketing, and launching SSLV rockets independently on a commercial basis, after a two-year handholding by the Indian Space Research Organisatuion (ISRO).

This marks a departure from previous practices where rockets were made on behalf of ISRO or its commercial arm, the New Space India Limited (NSIL). The transfer aims to empower HAL to operate as a commercial entity in the global small satellite launch market.

The selection process for the technology transfer involved a rigorous two-stage evaluation. Initially, six out of nine industries were shortlisted based on stringent eligibility criteria.

In the second stage, three industries, Alpha Design Technologies Ltd., Bengaluru (leading a consortium with Agnikul Cosmos & Walchand Industries Ltd.); Bharat Dynamics Ltd., Hyderabad (leading a consortium with Skyroot Aerospace, Keltron & BHEL); and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd., Bengaluru (applying independently, not as part of a consortium) submitted techno-commercial bids. After thorough evaluation, HAL emerged as the winner with the highest bid of Rs 511 crore.

Now, HAL will be able to exclusively own the SSLV technology.

In contrast Alpha Design Technologies as lead member which is hi-tech defence supplier had put in a bid at Rs 373 crore.

Dr Pawan Goenka, Chairman, IN-SPACe, said, "As India looks at realizing the $44 billion space economy earmarked for 2033, it is imperative to enable a robust public-private-partnership model. The SSLV technology transfer marks a pivotal moment in India's transformative commercial space segment, as this is one of the first instances of a space agency transferring complete launch vehicle technology to a company. Under this technology transfer agreement, HAL will have the capability to independently build, own, and commercialize SSLV launches."

As per estimates, ISRO spent under Rs 200 crore for the development of its latest SSLV launcher which has had three successful launches and the per cost of the SSLV is expected to be about Rs 30-35 crore. It weighs 120 tonnes and is 34 meters high and a rocket can be assembled in less than a week which is a great turnaround time. The SSLV serves a niche market for on-demand launch services for the under 500 kilogram satellite market. Experts say the pricing is very competitive.

Dr Goenka said HAL emerged as the highest bidder and in a tendering process where technology is being purchased his office had little leeway and the H1 emerged as the winner. Some are saying this important technology transfer is really not a full privatisation as the bid has been won by a public sector company which is already rolling in orders and still not able to keep to schedules.

Instead, a private-private consortium could have may be done better and would also be in keeping with governments vision of opening up of the space sector to the Indian private sector. Dr Goenka says at INSPACE they can't differentiate between companies all are equal public or private sector.

Rajeev Jyoti, Director of the Technical Directorate at IN-SPACe, provided insights into the selection process, noting the high level of technical competency demonstrated by all three bidders. He also outlined the next steps, which include a two-year hand-holding phase during which HAL will build two SSLV rockets with support from ISRO. Post this phase, HAL will independently manufacture and launch SSLV rockets. The first HAL manufactured SSLV could launch only by August 2027 as technology absorption will take that much time.

B Senapati, Director of Finance at HAL, expressed pride in winning the bid and emphasised HAL's commitment to ensuring high standards of quality and reliability in small satellite launch services. He also highlighted the potential for creating new opportunities for Indian MSMEs, start-ups, and the wider industrial ecosystem.

Dr D Radhakrishnan, CMD of NSIL, discussed the commercial potential of SSLV technology, noting the growing demand for small satellite launches globally. He projected that HAL could start with 6 to 8 launches per year, eventually ramping up to 10 or more. He also mentioned that NSIL is currently manufacturing 15 SSLV rockets, which will be launched before HAL's contract execution begins.

In fact Dr Goenka said later this year an ISRO manufactured SSLV will carry the dreams of many small satellite owners of India and further added that a new experimental platform called SMiLE or the SSLV Module for in-LEO Experiment will help Indian start-ups utilise the potential of the SSLV as a space laboratory.

Overall, the transfer of SSLV technology to HAL represents a major milestone in India's efforts to privatise albeit to a public sector company and to democratise access to space technology. It is expected to boost India's position in the global small satellite launch market and foster growth in the domestic space industry.

India already has Agnikul Cosmos developing a liquid propelled rocket and Skyroot Aerospace developing a solid fuelled rocket, both have done successful sub-orbital launches.

In a statement Dr DK Sunil, Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), said, "In this milestone, India's national ambition takes priority. We're looking forward to working closely under ISRO and IN-SPACe's guidance to progress in phases and realise the end objectives. We're confident of steering a cohesive ecosystem that enables more small satellite launches from India's ports."

In the recent past HAL has been heavily criticised for many delays of its critical projects including those on the Tejas fighter aircraft which was red flagged by the current Air Chief Marshal A P Singh, to which Mr Senapati said the aircraft and aerospace divisions are separated and the aerospace division of HAL is not overstretched and will adhere to the timelines.

Only time will tell if HAL can also successfully reach outer space and if it succeeds it may get re-christened as 'Hindustan Aerospace Limited'.