Space engineering solutions provider Dhruva Space has received authorisation from the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Center (IN-SPACe) to provide ground stations as a service (GSaaS).
The authorisation will enable it to offer critical ground support, enabling real-time satellite communication and control. This commercial capability ensures reliable data transmission, enhances mission flexibility and reduces operational costs. Additionally, the GSaaS authorisation would foster innovation by providing startups access to advanced ground station facilities, accelerating research and development, and focusing resources on mission objectives, the Hyderabad-based firm said in a release on Monday.
Describing it as a milestone, the company said the authorisation speaks of the significant advancements in the company’s ability to commercially support a wide range of space missions efficiently and effectively. The company has indigenously designed and developed six ground stations in VHF and UHF bands, two ground stations in S and/or X bands.
In 2021, it initiated internal R&D by establishing its S&X ground station at IIT-Hyderabad, which is expected to play a pivotal role in supporting the company’s upcoming LEAP-1 hosted payload mission scheduled later this year. Dhruva Space is also in discussions with several global ground station operators to expand its now India-based network to a global network of earth stations, providing access to operate satellites from anywhere in the world and vice-versa.
“The authorisation from IN-SPACe reinforces our role in supporting a growing number of space startups aiming to validate their spacecraft in orbit. Our GSaaS is designed to support an increasingly democratised space sector so commercial ventures and global communications can continue to flourish,” CEO Sanjay Nekkanti said in the release.
