Chethan Kumar

Journalist | Personal Handle: @Chethan_Dash

[Chethan Kumar @Chethan_Dash]

#Space #India

In a step toward commercialising India’s satellite infra, #INSPACe has invited private firms to build and operate ground stations inside an important @isro facility — the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC). 1/n

Pic: Isro

[Chethan Kumar @Chethan_Dash]

@INSPACeIND has issued an EoI seeking up to 3 Indian companies to establish and run satellite ground stations within the NRSC campus at Shadnagar, on the outskirts of Hyderabad. 2/n

[Chethan Kumar @Chethan_Dash]

@INSPACeIND As per the EoI, the initiative is aimed at seeding a private “Ground Station as a Service” (GSaaS) ecosystem, enabling comm’l operators to receive sat data, track spacecraft, and sell comms support services to domestic and international clients. 3/n

[Chethan Kumar @Chethan_Dash]

@INSPACeIND “The identified site spans approximately 9.15 acres within the NRSC premises, physically separated from existing agency facilities through dedicated fencing and access controls… 4/n

[Chethan Kumar @Chethan_Dash]

@INSPACeIND …Eligible operators would be permitted to install S-, X-, and Ka-band ground stations — frequency ranges critical for modern Earth observation and telecommunications satellites,” as per the EOI. 5/n

[Chethan Kumar @Chethan_Dash]

@INSPACeIND A central draw of the Shadnagar location is its protection against radio frequency interference, particularly in the Ka-band. 6/n

[Chethan Kumar @Chethan_Dash]

@INSPACeIND While portions of the 24.25–27.5 GHz spectrum have been earmarked for 5G deployment elsewhere in India, a 2.7-km exclusion zone has been mandated around five Department of Space sites, including Shadnagar. 7/n

[Chethan Kumar @Chethan_Dash]

@INSPACeIND This regulatory buffer makes the campus unusually well-suited for Ka-band data reception — an increasingly essential capability as newer remote sensing missions rely on the band to downlink high-resolution imagery at speed. 8/n

[Chethan Kumar @Chethan_Dash]

@INSPACeIND #INSPACe has offered interested firms 2 routes to participation. Under the 1st model, firms may lease abandoned antenna pedestals & control rooms on 10-yr or 20-yr terms & upgrade or rebuild structures as required. This is an approach that allows relatively quick deployment. 9/n

[Chethan Kumar @Chethan_Dash]

@INSPACeIND The 2nd is a “plug-and-play” arrangement: Isro & IN-SPACe to construct ready-to-use facilities capable of supporting antennas up to 7.5m, engineered to withstand wind speeds of 200 kmph. That option, however, is expected to take between 12 & 18 months before handover. 10/n

[Chethan Kumar @Chethan_Dash]

@INSPACeIND Companies interested in participating have until June 25 to submit responses. An open-house discussion and site visit at Shadnagar is scheduled for June 19. n/n

[Chethan Kumar @Chethan_Dash]

#Space #India #Moon #Water

India's #Chandrayaan2 has found strong evidence of ice buried in Moon's south polar region's "doubly-shadowed" craters!

It's an important finding. No time for a detailed thread this time. Link to the full story below:
https://t.co/I4XeABAfWi

[Chethan Kumar @Chethan_Dash]

Somewhere in #Bengaluru, a #dose (doh-say) is being topped with ice cream. A chutney is watching in silence. A sambar is getting cold. The Dose has been under attack for years, now. And finally, there's an #FIR. Justice must be served — preferably with good filter #coffee!

[Chethan Kumar @Chethan_Dash]

#Space #India 

Nearly 4yrs after @NSIL_India awarded the first private-sector contract worth Rs 860-cr to manufacture 5 #PSLVs, @INSPACeIND is now offering full transfer of technology (ToT) of the rocket to industry. 1/n

Pic: Isro

[Chethan Kumar @Chethan_Dash]

If the industry takes up on the offer, this will be the second rocket developed by @isro whose technology will be transferred. Last year, IN-SPACe completed the ToT for Isro’s #SSLV. 2/n

[Chethan Kumar @Chethan_Dash]

@isro The PSLV ToT move is striking because the first $PSLV being manufactured under the earlier industry contract awarded to @HALHQBLR & @larsentoubro consortium in 2022 is yet to launch. The first rocket was to be ready in 24 months, but it has been nearly double that time. 3/n

[Chethan Kumar @Chethan_Dash]

@isro @HALHQBLR @larsentoubro In its EoI, IN-SPACe said: the technology transfer is aimed at enabling Indian industry to “realise, operate and commercialise PSLV launches in the global medium-lift satellite market”. 4/n

[Chethan Kumar @Chethan_Dash]

@isro @HALHQBLR @larsentoubro As per IN-SPACe: “To ensure seamless technology absorption, infrastructural and hand-holding support will be provided by #Isro for a ‘defined period’ of 30 months or until realisation and launch of two #PSLV vehicles by the selected party, whichever is earlier.” 5/n

[Chethan Kumar @Chethan_Dash]

@isro @HALHQBLR @larsentoubro The EoI is restricted to Indian-owned non-govt entities. Eligible firms must have at least seven years of operations, five years of space or aerospace experience, and either an average turnover above Rs 400-cr or a valuation exceeding Rs 1,000-cr. 6/n

[Chethan Kumar @Chethan_Dash]

@isro @HALHQBLR @larsentoubro At the time of NSIL’s 2022 contract, officials had described the arrangement as a gradual outsourcing model. 7/n