The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (INSPACe) said the consortium will invest ₹1,200 crore in the project over the next four years.
New Delhi: In a first-of-its-kind development, India’s space regulator announced on Saturday that a Pixxel Space-led consortium has won the bid to build a 12-satellite Earth-observation constellation after placing a “zero bid.”
The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (INSPACe) said the consortium will invest ₹1,200 crore in the project over the next four years. Unlike other bidders, like Hyderabad-based Astra Microwave Products-led consortium that bid Rs 200 crore and the GalaxEye Space-led group that bid Rs 97 crore, the Bengaluru-based space startup-led group refused the government’s offer to contribute ₹350 crore of the project cost, opting instead to fully fund the initiative.
By quoting Re 0, the Pixxel-led consortium signaled that it required no government funding for the public-private partnership (PPP) project. Competing bids were placed by the Hyderabad-based Astra Microwave Products-led consortium at ₹200 crore and the GalaxEye Space-led consortium at ₹97 crore.
“The ‘zero bid’ of the Pixxel-led consortium is the talk of the town. How can somebody bid zero when the government is offering ₹350 crore? To me, it is a very good statement of the confidence the private sector has in the future opportunities in space,” said INSPACe chairman Pawan Goenka.
He added that the enthusiasm shown by private players marked a new phase in India’s space journey. “We feel very, very positive about what lies ahead of us with this kind of enthusiasm from the private sector,” Goenka said.
Among other key developments, INSPACe also announced the award of an orbital slot to Ananth Technologies Limited to launch a communication satellite at a cost of ₹2,500 crore, and the transfer of Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) technology from ISRO to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
