Over 10 consortia evinced interest in SSLV, says ISRO chief

Bengaluru: More than 10 companies and consortia have evinced interest in manufacturing the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV), with a few being shortlisted as potential bidders for the transfer of technology, ISRO chairman S Somanath said on Tuesday.

He said the selected industry partner will first develop twoSSLVs with assistance from ISRO over a two-year period before venturing out on its own to build rockets to place small satellites in low earth orbits.

"More than 100 groups/consortia had come forward and showed interest in transfer of technology for the SSLV," he told reporters on the sidelines of an event organised by the AICTE and Indian Space Association.

Somanath said IN-SPACe had organised a one-day interaction with industry players to understand issues that they may have related to technology transfer and how to do it, and expectations from ISRO for them.

He said a few companies/consortia have taken the Request for Proposals (RFP) documents for transfer of technology for the SSLV.

The company or a consortium identified for transfer of technology for the SSLV can continue to build the rocket at ISRO facilities till it develops its own campus for manufacturing the launch vehicles.

After the third development flight of the SSLV on August 16, Somanath announced that the development of the launch vehicle was complete and the rocket was ready to be transferred to the industry for mass production. "It is not just manufacturing technology that we are transferring. We are also transferring the knowledge on how things are done. They need to come inside ISRO and work with us and learn the techniques. We are teaching them how to build the rocket," he said.

"We will look at various criteria, including manufacturing, facilities and financial strength. There will be a technology transfer fee that they will have to pay," Somanath said.