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Building Rockets
US-based company Vast, planning to launch the world's first commercial space station next year, has evinced interest in using Indian rockets to transport crew members to its orbital laboratory. Vast CEO Max Hoat met the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) leadership team on the sidelines of the Global Space Exploration Conference here to discuss possible collaborations in the area of space technology. The space-habitation company is in the race to build a space station that will be the successor to the International Space Station, which will be retired by 2031. The California-based company plans to launch Haven-1, a single-module space station, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in May 2026. "Right now, we are on track with our launch for May 2026," Hoat told PTI in an interview. Vast plans to conduct a series of tests on the space station, before flying astronauts to the orbital laboratory by July next year. The first module of Haven-2, a much larger space station, is expected to
The Department of Space (DoS) plans to realise entirely-built rockets -- GSLV-Mk III and SSLV -- from Indian industry partners, in addition to PSLV, according to a top official of its commercial arm NSIL. NSIL (NewSpace India Limited) has received three bids -- HAL-L&T, BEL-Adani-BEML, and BHEL, in response to the request for proposal (RFP) floated by it for end-to-end production of PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle). "We are now going through the techno-commercial evaluation (in respect of the three bids)", NSIL Chairman and Managing Director, Radhakrishnan D, told PTI here. He said the process will be completed within the next two months with one of the bidders bagging the contract. The selected bidder will be responsible for realisation of five numbers of PSLV. Immediately after selection of the bidder to produce the entire PSLV, NSIL will release Expression of Interest (EOI) for end-to-end production of another operational rocket -- GSLV-Mk III (Geosynchronous Satellite ...