New Delhi, June 25 (Agency) Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX), a flagship initiative of the Ministry of Defence signed a contract with SpacePixxel Technologies Pvt Ltd here on Tuesday, for design and development of a miniaturised satellite capable of carrying electro-optical, infrared, synthetic aperture radar and hyperspectral payloads up to 150 kg. The contract was exchanged between Additional Secretary (Defence Production) and CEO, Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO) Anurag Bajpai and Founder and CEO of SpacePixxel Technologies Pvt Ltd Awais Ahmed Nadeem Alduri in presence of Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane and other officials.
In his address, the Defence Secretary appreciated the unwavering commitment of new defence innovators for pushing the boundaries of technology and safeguarding the nation, a Defence Ministry statement said. Emphasising the importance of combining indigenisation with innovation, he stated that domestic capabilities provide a foundation for fostering innovation by offering a platform for experimentation and development. He said that innovation fuels indigenisation by driving the creation of new technologies and solutions that can be produced domestically, and assured all possible support to the innovators at every step. SpacePixxel has been actively working to build and launch high-resolution hyperspectral imaging satellites to provide detailed earth observation data. This is the 350th contract of iDEX. This contract enables innovation in space electronics, wherein many payloads earlier deployed on dedicated large satellites are now being miniaturised. The modular small satellite will integrate multiple miniaturised payloads as per requirement, providing advantages like faster and economical deployment, ease of manufacturing, scalability, adaptability, and less environmental impact.