Pixxel, SatSure, 28 Others Submit Bids To Build Earth Observation System

The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) has reportedly received bids from 30 entities, including spacetech startups Pixxel and SatSure, to build and manage a space-based earth observation (EO) system.

While a report by Reuters said that Tata Advanced Systems is also in the race to build the EO system, ET reported that Dhruva, SatSure, PierSight, Centum, and IIFCL also took part in the bidding process.

This comes nearly two weeks after IN-SPACe closed proposals to build the said system. Over 30 companies participated in the process, IN-SPACe chairman Pawan Goenka told Reuters. 

“We have received 9 applications … Each applicant represents a consortium, involving a total of 30 companies,” added Goenka. He also said that the nodal agency expects to finish technical evaluations by the end of January 2025, after which a tender will be floated to determine the winning bidder.

A consortium of four members is allowed to jointly apply for the tender. The report by ET pegged the cost of building and operating the EO satellites constellation at around INR 1,500 Cr. The government will reportedly offer a grant of up to INR 350 Cr to the winning consortium to build the system and the clutch of winning bidders will have to repay this grant amount over the operational period of the constellation.

The expression of interest (EOI) for the EO was floated by IN-SPACe in July 2024, inviting non-government entities (NGEs) based in India to set up the system under a public private partnership (PPP).

The winning entities will be designing and building a constellation of satellites that are equipped with achromatic, multispectral, hyperspectral, and microwave imaging. 

It will also involve applicants launching the satellites through Indian Satellite Launch Vehicles, monitoring and controlling the spacecraft health, establishing and operating their own ground stations or through ground stations as a service (GSaaS) providers. 

The applicants will be judged based on multiple parameters set by IN-SPACe, including funding, valuation, and revenue. To qualify for the project, the applicants should have raised at least INR 85 Cr in funding or INR 42.5 Cr in case of Indian startups. Besides, they are also required to have a valuation of INR 850 Cr or a two year average turn over of INR 200 Cr.  

Further, the participating entity or the lead member of the consortium is also required to have a manufacturing experience of at least one year in the Indian defense or aerospace or space sector.

The project adds on to the multiple government initiatives undertaken this year to promote the homegrown spacetech ecosystem. Earlier this month, science and technology minister Jitendra Singh informed the Parliament that IN-SPACe has signed around 71 MoUs with NGEs to provide necessary support for realisation of space systems and applications envisaged by such NGEs.

These MoUs are expected to increase the industry participation in manufacturing of launch vehicles and satellites, the minister said. Besides, the government has also undertaken specific measures to promote the Indian spacetech startup ecosystem in recent years. 

One of the most important of such developments was the launch of an INR 1,000 Cr venture capital (VC) fund dedicated to supporting India’s space sector in this year’s Budget. 

As a result of multiple such initiatives, the number of space startups in India has gone up in recent years. Singh recently told the Parliament that the number of spacetech startups in the country have gone up to around 266 as of December 18 from just 1 in 2014.

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