Australian Govt signs $18 million MoU with ISRO's commercial arm

Australian Govt signs $18 million MoU with ISRO's commercial arm

The Australian government on June 26 announced that it has entered into an $18 million memorandum of understanding (MoU) with NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

Announced on the inaugural day of the India Space Congress, the partnership centres on Space Machines, an Australian firm, deploying a satellite inspection and observation payload aboard ISRO's Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) scheduled for 2026.

Rajat Kulshrestha, co-founder of Space Machines, said that this will be the largest satellite launched by Australia to date.

ISRO Chairman S Somanath outlined the agency's goal of ramping up SSLV launches to 20-30 per year to meet the growing demand for small satellite launches.

Australian High Commissioner Philip Green, present at the India Space Congress, said that although Australia has various space collaborations, the agreement with India will enable Australian satellites to be launched from the Indian subcontinent.

Pawan Goenka, chairman of the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), said that the privatisation of the SSLV is in progress, with six bidders currently identified. The final decision is yet to be made, and once privatised, the SSLV will be produced and operated by the private sector.

The India Space Congress also saw the announcement of upcoming joint space conferences between ISRO and the Australian government, slated for November. These conferences aim to foster deeper collaboration and knowledge exchange between the two nations' space sectors.