HAL wins ₹511 cr bid to manufacture SSLV, beats Adani-led and Bharat Dynamics consortiums
New Delhi: Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has secured the rights to manufacture India’s Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV), marking a major milestone in the government's drive to open up the space sector to private enterprise. The announcement was made on Friday by the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Center (IN-SPACe).
HAL emerged as the winning bidder for the strategic transfer of SSLV technology from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), placing a successful bid of ₹511 crore.
Notably, the aerospace major applied independently, outbidding two qualified consortiums—one led by Adani Group’s Alpha Design and the other by Bharat Dynamics Ltd.
Under the deal, HAL not only acquires the rights to manufacture the SSLV but also gains ownership and commercialisation privileges—allowing it to conduct SSLV launches for domestic and global clients.
This represents a critical step in India’s broader efforts to build a commercially viable space ecosystem, in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s policy reforms.
The SSLV is designed to carry payloads of up to 500 kg to low-Earth orbit and is tailored to meet the rising global demand for small satellite launches.
“This is the first strategic transfer of rocket technology under the government’s liberalisation efforts,” said Pawan Goenka, Chairperson of IN-SPACe, as quoted by Reuters.
According to Global Market Insights, the global market for low-Earth orbit launch vehicles was valued at $13.9 billion in 2023 and is expected to triple to $44 billion by 2032.
India, which currently holds only a 2% share of the global space economy, aims to significantly expand its footprint.
As per Reuters, the country is targeting an expansion from $8 billion to $44 billion by 2030.
The SSLV tender had attracted early interest from around 20 firms, reflecting the rising private sector appetite in India’s nascent commercial space sector.
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