IN-SPACe selects Astrome, Azista and Dhruva Space for satellite bus plan

Astrome, Azista and Dhruva Space to receive ₹5 crore each under IN-SPACe's SBaaS initiative to develop indigenous small satellite bus platforms for hosted payload services

In a move to push private players in the space sector, three Indian space start-ups — Bengaluru-based Astrome Technologies and Hyderabad-based Azista Industries and Dhruva Space — were chosen by the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) to develop and test indigenous small satellite bus platforms capable of carrying and operating different customer payloads.

 

IN-SPACe had announced the Satellite Bus as a Service (SBaaS) initiative through an announcement of opportunity (AO) in April 2025, inviting proposals from Indian Non-Governmental Entities (NGEs) to develop indigenous small satellite bus platforms for hosted payload services. A total of 15 proposals were received up to July 2025, and following a rigorous, transparent, and multi-stage evaluation process, the three firms were selected.

   

Each selected company will receive a grant of ₹5 crore to support the development and demonstration of a robust, modular and scalable small satellite bus. The satellite buses developed under the SBaaS initiative will serve as a cost-effective platform to accommodate multiple hosted payloads, catering to both domestic and global market requirements. IN-SPACe has signed contract agreements with the selected companies on Wednesday, marking the formal commencement of implementation under the scheme.

 

Commenting on the announcement, Pawan Goenka, Chairman, IN-SPACe, stated: “The Satellite Bus as a Service initiative marks an important step in building a robust, sustainable, and globally competitive small satellite manufacturing ecosystem in India. By enabling indigenous satellite bus platforms and integrating them with India’s emerging small satellite launch capabilities, we are laying the foundation for India to become a preferred global destination for end-to-end small satellite manufacturing, launch, and hosted payload services.”

 

SBaaS is a business model where a company provides a ready-to-use satellite bus to customers, along with related services, instead of the customer building their own satellite platform.

 

Rajeev Jyoti, Director – Technical Directorate, IN-SPACe, said: “The SBaaS initiative is a key enabler for the development and manufacturing of indigenous small satellite bus platforms in India. By providing standardised and flight-proven satellite bus platforms for hosted payload missions, IN-SPACe aims to reduce entry barriers for payload developers while strengthening domestic manufacturing capabilities and reinforcing India’s position in the rapidly growing global hosted payload services market.”

 

As per the AO guidelines, IN-SPACe will continue to support the selected companies through milestone-linked grant disbursement and by facilitating access to ISRO/DoS and IN-SPACe infrastructure, testing facilities, and technical expertise, as required. In subsequent phases, IN-SPACe plans to enable hosted payload missions on these satellite bus platforms, further expanding public–private partnership-led programmes that allow industry to scale from platform development to operational missions.

 

The announcement further strengthens IN-SPACe’s continuing efforts to enable private sector capability building in satellite platforms and hosted payload services. Recently, IN-SPACe had signed a concession agreement with PixxelSpace India and Allied Orbits Pvt Ltd (SPV formed by a Pixxel-led consortium) for the establishment of an Earth Observation constellation under the public–private partnership (PPP) framework. The partnership is aimed at advancing the development of indigenous Earth Observation capabilities through Indian industry and establishing a robust, commercial EO ecosystem.