New Delhi: The national Department of Science and Technology announced on 13 March that it has backed a Chennai-based private space startup, OrbitAID Aerospace, which has developed docking and refuelling systems for in orbit satellites.
OrbitAID has developed the technology for in-space life extension of satellites, designed to provide a standard interface and docking and refuelling port (SIDRP). This will enable autonomous docking and propellant transfer between satellites in orbit.
It includes a “satellite fill-and-drain” valve with a dual docking interface and is engineered to operate reliably both on ground and in microgravity environments.
“Technologies such as in-orbit servicing and satellite life-extension systems represent the next frontier of commercial space activities,” Rajesh Kumar Pathak, secretary of the department’s Technology Development Board, said in a statement.
Pathak said that the TDB’s financial assistance to the startup shows “the government’s commitment to supporting Indian startups developing advanced space technologies that strengthen India’s global competitiveness and technological self-reliance.”
The technology
Earlier this year, on 12 January, OrbitAID’s AayulSAT was scheduled to fly on board the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle’s C-62 mission, which ultimately failed to place the satellites in orbit.
AayulSAT’s mission was to demonstrate internal fuel transfer, along with power and data transfer, using the company’s new SIDRP technology.
Weighing around 25 kg, OrbitAid’s “space fuel station” can operate in a Sun-synchronous orbit — about 600-800 km above Earth — serving as a critical test bed for similar technologies in the future.
“Such orbital propellant depots are a transformative concept, aiming to store fuel in space to refuel satellites and spacecraft. This capability can dramatically extend mission durations, reduce space debris, and promote more sustainable space operations,” read an OrbitAid statement released in January.
The concept of refuelling satellites in space is being tested worldwide. In the United States, companies such as Orbit Fab are also experimenting with similar technologies.
“OrbitAID’s mission is therefore strategically significant, positioning India at the forefront of this emerging global infrastructure. By proving capabilities in on-orbit servicing, AayulSAT aims to reduce the need for replacement launches and strengthen India’s position in the new space economy,” OrbitAID said.
(Edited by Insha Jalil Waziri)