ISRO signs $18 million MoU with Australia, eyes space collaboration

New Delhi: On June 26, the Australian government announced an $18 million memorandum of understanding (MoU) with NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), ISRO’s commercial arm.

Revealed during the inaugural day of the India Space Congress, the partnership centres on Space Machines, an Australian company deploying a satellite inspection and observation payload aboard ISRO’s SSLV slated for 2026. Rajat Kulshrestha, co-founder of Space Machines, highlighted that this will mark Australia’s largest satellite launch to date. ISRO Chairman S Somanath outlined plans to escalate SSLV launches to 20-30 annually to meet the burgeoning demand for small satellite launches.

Australian High Commissioner Philip Green, in attendance at the India Space Congress, emphasised that while Australia has multiple space collaborations, this agreement with India enables Australian satellites to launch from the Indian subcontinent.

ISRO’s commercial arm NSIL said on Wednesday that its newest rocket the SSLV will have its first dedicated commercial launch when it puts into orbit the Optimus -- a satellite built by Australia-based Space Machines Company.

The announcement was made jointly by NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) and Space Machines Company at the India Space Congress, organised by the Satcom Industry Association-India.

This pioneering collaboration sets the stage for the launch of Space Machines Company’s second Optimus spacecraft, weighing 450 kilograms, the largest Australian-designed and built spacecraft so far, a statement from NSIL said. “This will be the first dedicated commercial launch for SSLV (Small Satellite Launch Vehicle). The first commercial launch was Janus, a 10-kilogram nanosatellite on board the SSLV-D2 mission,” NSIL Chairman and Managing Director Radhakrishnan Durairaj said.

The satellite is slated for a dedicated launch in 2026 onboard the SSLV. This mission, named Space MAITRI (Mission for Australia-India’s Technology, Research and Innovation), marks a significant milestone in the strategic partnership between Australia and India in the space domain, fostering closer ties between commercial, institutional and government space organisations from both nations, the NSIL said.