Artemis II mission: In lunar glow, India's space supply chain may take off

The biggest Artemis II mission suppliers are deepening their presence in the country

The Artemis II mission, now underway with the Orion spacecraft carrying four astronauts on a 10-day journey around the Moon, is likely to unlock deeper private-sector participation in the global space economy.

 

Though India is not directly part of the mission, its imprint is unmistakable. Several Indians are embedded within the broader Artemis II team. The connection extends further: The first crewed lunar mission since 1972 draws on more than 2,700 suppliers across the United States and Europe. Notably, many of these companies have significant business stakes in India. The top four -- Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman and Airbus -- not only anchor the mission but are also deeply entrenched in India’s aerospace and defence ecosystem, increasingly positioning the country as a global sourcing and manufacturing hub.

 

“This mission is critical to an expanding space economy, fuelling new industries and technologies. More importantly, private sector suppliers are the catalyst, unlike what we saw 50 years ago,” said Lieutenant General (retd) A K Bhatt, director general, Indian Space Association (ISpA). Bhatt, however, not that no major sourcing happened from India.

 

Lockheed Martin, the prime contractor for the Orion spacecraft that houses the astronauts, exemplifies this dual footprint. With more than three decades in India, the company operates under the motto, “For India. From India. For the World,” underscoring its strategic alignment with the country.

 

Last year, following Operation Sindoor, it pitched its tailor-made F21 fighter jets to the Indian Air Force (IAF). The IAF already operates 12 C-130J Super Hercules aircraft, making India one of 22 nations to deploy the platform for tactical airlift missions. This fleet marked the first major US-India military contract in over 40 years.

 

India’s role in the C-130J programme runs deeper. Tata Lockheed Martin Aerostructures Limited (TLMAL), based in Hyderabad, serves as the single global source of empennage assemblies for all new Super Hercules aircraft. Since commencing operations in 2010, TLMAL has delivered nearly 200 units, aligning closely with “Make in India” ambitions. Meanwhile, the MH-60R programme remains Lockheed Martin’s largest engagement in India under U.S. government foreign military sales, enhancing the Indian Navy’s Indo-Pacific capabilities.

 

Airbus, through the European Space Agency (ESA), delivers the Orion European Service Module (ESM-2), which provides propulsion, power, thermal regulation, and life-support essentials. When Orion arcs behind the Moon, Artemis II astronauts are expected to surpass the distance record set by Apollo 13 -- the farthest humans have ever travelled from Earth.

 

“Airbus is already looking beyond this mission. ESM-3 in 2027 will test rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and commercial spacecraft needed to land astronauts on the Moon. And in 2028, ESM-4, destined to support the lunar landing of Artemis IV, is currently undergoing final integration at Kennedy Space Center (KSC),” the company said in a statement last week.

 

Airbus maintains a substantial footprint in India, employing over 3,600 people and supporting more than 15,000 jobs through its supply chain. It sources over €1 billion annually in components and services from the country for global exports. In October last year, its board reportedly held an offsite meeting in New Delhi -- its first -- amid a surge in orders led by Indian majors such as IndiGo and the Tata group.

 

Boeing’s India engagement runs even deeper, spanning more than eight decades. During the Artemis II launch, Nasa’s Space Launch System relied on a Boeing-built core stage to power ascent before separation roughly eight and a half minutes into flight, enabling Orion’s lunar trajectory.

 

In India, Boeing employs over 7,000 people and supports an additional 13,000 across a supply chain of more than 300 partners. Annual sourcing from India stands at approximately $1.25 billion. More than 65 defence aircraft and over 200 Boeing airplanes are currently in operation across the country. The company has also invested $200 million in its Bengaluru campus.

 

Northrop Grumman’s India presence spans defence and civil domains, including air traffic control communications, radar systems, unmanned ground vehicles for the Indian Army, and marine navigation systems for the Navy. For Artemis II, it produced the launch abort motor and the attitude control motor for Orion’s launch abort system.

 

Thales Alenia Space contributed thermomechanical systems for the European Service Module. Last year, it signed a contract with NIBE Space, a subsidiary of NIBE Limited, to supply a high-resolution optical satellite, marking the first step in NIBE’s Earth observation constellation.

 

As more Artemis-linked companies deepen their presence in India, the growing overlap is hard to ignore. While the mission itself may not source directly from the country, the significant exposure of its key partners to India’s market signals a sector gaining altitude, firmly placing the country’s aerospace and defence ecosystem in takeoff mode.