Defence Ministry’s iDEX signs 350th contract, for miniaturised satellite

New Delhi: The Defence Ministry’s flagship initiative Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) on Tuesday signed a landmark 350th contract for the design and development of a miniaturised satellite for the Indian Air Force.

The contract was inked with SpacePixxel Technologies Pvt Ltd for the design and development of a “Miniaturised satellite capable of carrying Electro-Optical, Infrared, Synthetic Aperture Radar, and Hyperspectral payloads up to 150 kgs”, a Ministry statement said, adding that this 350th iDEX 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,” it added.

The contract was exchanged between Additional Secretary, Defence Production, & CEO, Defence Innovation Organisation Anurag Bajpai and SpacePixxel Technologies Pvt Ltd Founder & CEO Awais Ahmed Nadeem Alduri in the presence of Defence Secretary Shri Giridhar Aramane and other senior civil & military officials of the Ministry of Defence.

SpacePixxel has been actively working to build and launch high-resolution hyperspectral imaging satellites to provide detailed earth observation data.

The Defence Ministry noted that the 150th iDEX contract was signed in December 2022, and within a span of 18 months, the 350th contract has been signed.