India’s government has received initial interest from 20 companies in its bid to privatize part of the country’s space program by allowing companies to build its small Satellite Launch Rocket, according to an official overseeing the process. The Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV), developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), had its first successful satellite launch in February. It is designed as a low-cost solution to launch satellites weighing up to 500 kg into low-earth orbit. The opening of the bidding process aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s policy drive to open the country’s space industry to private investment.

India’s newly established space regulatory body, the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), began the process on July 11 by inviting qualified companies to register their interest in the SSLV rocket program. Pawan Goenka, chairman of IN-SPACe, stated that 20 companies have submitted an “expression of interest” in the program. IN-SPACe will have a pre-EOI consultation with these applicants within two weeks. Companies participating in the bid must be profitable and the lead bidder in a consortium must have at least five years of manufacturing experience and an annual revenue of Rs 400 crore ($48.8 million).

The goal of this privatization effort is for India to increase its share of the global satellite launch market by fivefold in the next decade. The winning bidder for the SSLV program is expected to develop the small-satellite launch business and position India as a global hub for such launches.

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