ISRO transfers satellite bus technology to private firm

Source: The post is based on the article “ISRO transfers satellite bus technology to private firm”  published in Economic Times on 5th August 2023.

What is the News?

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has begun transferring IMS-1 Satellite Bus technology to Alpha Design Technologies, a Bengaluru-based private company. 

The transfer was facilitated by ISRO’s commercial arm NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) through an agreement.

What is the IMS-1 satellite bus?

The IMS-1 satellite bus was developed by the UR Rao Satellite Centre.

Purpose: It is a small satellite platform designed to enable low-cost access to space. 

– The bus can serve as a dedicated vehicle for many different payloads, facilitating Earth imaging, ocean and atmospheric studies, microwave remote sensing and space science missions.

Features: The bus weighs about 100 kilograms and can carry a 30-kilogram payload. The solar arrays onboard generate 330 watts of power. 

– It comes with four reaction wheels with a 1 Newton thruster that is good for pointing accuracy with an accuracy threshold of 0.1 Degrees. 

Used in: The bus was used in previous ISRO missions like IMS-1, Youthsat and Microsat-2D.