On May 15, 2023, the Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX), the flagship initiative of the Ministry of Defence (MoD), signed its 250th contract (1st under Mission DefSpace) with Thane (Maharashtra) based InspeCity Space Laboratories Pvt. Ltd., and 100th SPRINT (Navy) contract with Pune (Maharashtra) based Siliconia Technologies Pvt Ltd in New Delhi, Delhi.
About Contract with InspeCity(Mission DefSpace contract):
It is a first contract under Mission DefSpace which was signed by Additional Secretary-Defence Production (AS-DP) and CEO (Chief Executive Officer) Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO) T. Natarajan; and CEO of InspeCity, Arindrajit Chowdhary.
- The company is one of the winners of the challenge ‘Micropropulsion system for cubesats’ which is being led by the Defence Space Agency.
What is in the contract?
The contract envisages the development of a gas-based system for micro propulsion of Cubesats, a class of smallsats, which are modular; low-cost; easy to manufacture, integrate, and launch; and form a critical component for launch-on-demand capabilities.
- Cubesats capture images, conduct intelligence surveillance, and facilitate communication. To ensure their effectiveness in these areas, they need to be accurately aligned. This is why there is a need for a compact micropropulsion system that enables precise maneuvering and orbit correction.
This technology, once developed, can be integrated with other satellites, including the cubesat swarm being developed under Mission DefSpace.
About Contract with Siliconia Technologies Pvt Ltd(100th SPRINT (Navy) contract):
It is the 100th SPRINT (Navy) contract which was exchanged between CEO-DIO T. Natarajan; and CEO, Sushil Eknath Ghule, Siliconia Technologies Pvt Ltd.
- The company is winner of the Challenge which envisaged the development of a prototype that is a lightweight ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit) based communication system using software defined antenna for Low Earth Orbit, Medium Earth Orbit and Geostationary satellite communication.
What is in the contract?
It envisages the development of a prototype that provides multiple independent receiver and transmitter sources essential in phased-array radars used in satellite tracking.
About Mission DefSpace
It was launched in October 2022 by the Prime Minister (PM) of India Narendra Modi during DefExpo at Gandhinagar, Gujarat. Under this, 75 Defence Space Challenges for the three Services (Indian Airforce (IAF), India Navy (IN) and India Army (IA)) are being addressed by the private sector.
- The challenges, classified into five buckets viz. Launch System, Satellite System, Communication & Payload System, Ground System and Software System, provide a holistic 3600 overview of space.
About ‘SPRINT’ initiative:
Under this, a total of 75 Challenge statements for the Indian industry were unveiled by PM Narendra Modi during the Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Organisation (NIIO) seminar ‘Swavlamban’ in July, 2022.
- Its aim is to induct at least 75 technologies/products into the Indian Navy (IN) by August 2023 as part of ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’.
About iDEX:
Launched in 2018 by the Indian PM, its objective is to provide the platform of co-creation & co-development in the defence sector. It promotes startups, innovators, and entrepreneurs to contribute to indigenous defense production.
- It is being implemented by DIO, established under the Department of Defence Production, MoD.
Recent Related News:
i.On March 16, 2023, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for capital acquisition of over Rs 70,500 crore under Buy {Indian-IDDM (Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured)} for Armed Forces viz. Indian Navy (IN), Indian Air Force (IAF), Indian Army (IA), and the Indian Coast Guard (ICG).
ii.The Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) inked a contract for the procurement of six Dornier-228 aircraft for the Indian Air Force (IAF) at a cost of Rs. 667 crore.
About Ministry of Defence (MoD):
Union Minister– Rajnath Singh (Constituency- Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh)
Minister of State– Ajay Bhatt (Constituency- Nainital-Udhamsingh Nagar, Uttarakhand)
