Australian – Indian in-space servicing firm Space Machines Company has signed strategic partnerships with India’s top aerospace and defence manufacturer, Ananth Technologies, and full-stack space infrastructure company Digantara. The deal marks a significant milestone in Space Machines Company’s mission to revolutionise space operations and traffic management. The parties signed the agreements on September 18, 2024, at the 2024 Bengaluru Space Expo.
The partnerships will play a pivotal role in the upcoming Space MAITRI मैत्री (Mission for Australia-India’s Technology, Research and Innovation) mission and the launch of Space Machines Company’s second Optimus satellite. Scheduled for 2026, the satellite will deploy aboard NewSpace India Limited’s (NSIL) cutting-edge Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV).
“These partnerships represent a significant milestone for both the Space MAITRI mission and Australia’s growing connection with India’s space sector,” said Rajat Kulshrestha, CEO and Co-founder of Space Machines Company. “We’ll work closely with Ananth Technologies and Digantara throughout the Space MAITRI project lifecycle, leveraging each company’s advanced engineering, logistic and situation space awareness capabilities to fulfil the joint Australian-Indian mission of building a more sustainable space future.”
Ananth Technologies will provide assembly integration and testing, as well as comprehensive engineering and logistics support throughout the Space MAITRI program. This will include the safe transportation and handling of all spacecraft components in India, testing in its state-of-the-art cleanroom facilities in Bengaluru, and launch site spacecraft fueling. The collaboration between Space Machines Company and Ananth Technologies will ensure Space Machines Company’s second Optimus spacecraft is successfully integrated into the SSLV and ready for launch.
“Ananth Technologies is globally renowned for our expertise in precision engineering, manufacturing, and satellite integration,” said Dr Subba Rao Pavuluri, Ananth Technologies Chairman and Managing Director. “We’re committed to providing the logistical support and resources for the Space MAITRI mission’s success. This agreement is also an opportunity to showcase India’s growing test and launch capabilities and how our space sector is working with international partners to address global opportunities and challenges.”
Digantara will work with Space Machines Company and all other partners throughout the project, integrating their state-of-the-art short-range electro-optical payload onto Optimus. This payload will track short-range resident space objects (operational satellites, failed satellites, debris, etc.), allowing Optimus to execute close approach manoeuvres when approaching in-orbit objects. The Space MAITRI mission will be crucial in demonstrating in-space operational capabilities while also collecting broader Space Domain Awareness data.
“Our collaborative work with Space Machines Company will enable Optimus to track and engage short-range resident space objects, a vital capability when executing close approach manoeuvres during on-orbit operations,” said Digantara CEO Anirudh Sharma. “We’re honoured to support Space Machines Company with our advanced situational space awareness capabilities and help advance the future of safe and sustainable space operations both in India and abroad.”
Australia’s High Commissioner to India, Philip Green, said the latest partnership agreements underscore Australia’s growing strategic partnership with India.
“The relationship between Australia and India’s space industries is growing in a way not experienced before,” he said. “It’s incredibly exciting to see the Space MAITRI mission fulfil its purpose of bringing industry-leading companies, partners and technologies from across Australia and India together. By working as a collective, we’re strengthening our bilateral relationship and pioneering new frontiers in international space cooperation.”
The Australian Government invested AUD8.5 million in the Space MAITRI mission in April 2024 through the Australian Space Agency’s AUD18 million International Space Investment India Projects program.
Head of the Australian Space Agency, Enrico Palermo, said these signings were another step towards deepening Australia’s space heritage and further strengthening our relationship with India.
“This mission, and the collaborations that underpin it, emphasise the role space can play in enhancing cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region for mutual benefit,” he said. “Australia and India are both innovative in how we approach space, producing fresh technologies and investing in inventive missions that deliver outcomes that improve life here on Earth.”
“This mission leverages our nation’s respective capabilities and advantages to make space activities more sustainable, something the global space community is focused on to protect and maintain the assets in orbit that are central to a functioning modern society.”
