In a significant stride for India's burgeoning space sector, Hyderabad-based Dhruva Space and Bellatrix Aerospace have marked remarkable successes in their recent tests onboard the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) innovative POEM initiative.
Dhruva Space announced the successful testing of its 'Launching Expeditions for Aspiring Payloads - Technology Demonstrator' (LEAP-TD) aboard ISRO's platform. This milestone paves the way for their satellite missions, as they validated the P-30 platform and its integral subsystems in orbit. The confirmation came through telemetry and beacon data received at the ground station of the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) in Thiruvananthapuram.
Key subsystems validated during this test include the On-Board Computer, Ultra High Frequency (UHF) TT&C Module, UHF Beacon, Attitude Control System featuring a Reaction Wheel from Comat, and Power Distribution Board, as detailed in Dhruva Space's official statement.
ISRO's PSLV Orbital Experimental Module (POEM) acted as the host platform for these experiments, leveraging the spent PS4 stage as an orbital platform for scientific endeavours.
Meanwhile, the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) announced the successful testing of Bellatrix Aerospace's high-performance green propulsion system, a breakthrough development supported by DRDO's Technology Development Fund. The eco-friendly technology is anticipated to lower satellite costs and enhance India's space capabilities, the DRDO reported.
Dhruva Space's successful LEAP-TD qualification now sets the stage for hosted payload solutions, enabling entities beyond the primary satellite operator to own a portion of the spacecraft, like sensors, instruments, or transponders. The startup is already gearing up for the inaugural LEAP satellite mission (LEAP-1), poised for launch in the near future.
Sanjay Nekkanti, CEO of Dhruva Space, highlighted the advantages of their hosted payload offering, emphasizing reduced timelines, rapid access to space, cost savings, risk mitigation, and varied levels of payload command and control through their Telemetry, Tracking, and Command (TT&C) ground facilities.
ISRO's POEM platform facilitates in-orbit experiments for space startups, university students, and research institutes. This initiative optimizes the spent PSLV rocket stage, which would otherwise crash into the sea post-satellite deployment, providing standard interfaces and packages for experimental payloads' design, development, and validation.
On January 1, ISRO's PSLV-C58 rocket launched XPoSAT, developed by Bengaluru's Raman Research Institute, further exemplifying India's stride in space exploration and technology.
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