Space MAITRI Mission:
The Australian government entered into an $18 million memorandum of understanding (MoU) with NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) under the space MAITRI mission.
- Space MAITRI (Mission for Australia-India’s Technology, Research and Innovation), represents a major step forward in the strategic partnership between the two nations in the space domain.
- It aims to foster closer ties between commercial, institutional and governmental space organizations from India and Australia.
- It focuses on debris management and sustainability, aligning with both nations’ core values and objectives in promoting responsible space operations and mitigating the growing threat of space debris.
- Under this agreement, NewSpace India Limited will launch Australia’s Space Machines Company’s second Optimus spacecraft in 2026.
- The 450kg Optimus spacecraft, the largest Australian-designed and built spacecraft to date, will be launched on ISRO’s Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV).
NewSpace India Limited:
- It is a commercial arm under Department of Space(DoS), Government of India.
- It was incorporated in March 2019 and was set up to take high technology space-related activities in India.
- Under the new space policy reforms announced by the Government of India in June 2020, NSIL is to undertake operational satellite missions on a “demand-driven” model.
- They are responsible to build, launch, own and operate the satellite and provide services to customers.
- It is headquartered in Bengaluru.
