Space companies receive funding under India-Australia programme

Bengaluru: The Australian government on Tuesday announced space companies Ananth Technologies and the IISc-incubated Digantara as recipients of funding for joint India-Australia projects under the International Space Investment India (ISI) programme.

Three projects under the programme will receive a total funding of AUD 17.6 million (around Rs 95 crore).

The three joint ventures earmarked for the funding are – a low earth orbit satellite in Australia to collect high-resolution data on carbon emissions, a space debris mitigation project involving an Australian-built orbital service vehicle sent into space on an Indian launcher, and a position, navigation, and timing system to connect large-scale satellite constellations.

Ed Husic, Australian minister for industry and science, said the partnership in space between India and Australia could help strengthen the bilateral ties and deliver outcomes that are beneficial to the two countries and the region.

The projects will include Space Machines Company, Skykraft and LatConnect60 from Australia, and Skyroot from Hyderabad, with additional support from NewSpace India Limited, Isro’s commercial arm, the National Remote Sensing Centre, and the Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology in New Delhi, the Australian Consulate-General said.

The ISI projects are envisioned to back India-Australia collaborations that deliver critical space-related products and services.