New Space India Limited (NSIL) [UPSC Notes]

In yet another boost to Atmanirbharata in Defence, the Ministry of Defence signed a contract with NSIL for the procurement of an advanced Communication Satellite, GSAT 7B at an overall cost of Rs 2,963 cr. This project is under the Buy {Indian – IDDM (Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured)} category. The geostationary satellite, being the first of its kind in the five-tonne category, will be developed indigenously by ISRO. The satellite will considerably enhance the communication capability of the Indian Army. In this article, you will learn about NSIL, important for the IAS exam.

New Space India Limited (NSIL)

In March 2019, GoI established New Space India Limited (NSIL), a Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) under the administrative control of the Department of Space (DoS) to commercially exploit the research and development work of  ISRO centres and constituent units of DoS.

• NSIL was set up to meet the ever-increasing demands of the Indian space programme and to commercially exploit the emerging global space market.  

Functions of NSIL

NSIL has been set up to carry out the following roles and functions as a part of its mandate.

• Building launch vehicles through Indian Industry –
  • PSLV – NSIL is the nodal agency for carrying out PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) productionisation through Indian Industry.
  • SSLV – It is the responsibility of NSIL to manufacture SSLV (Small Satellite Launch Vehicle) through Indian Industry partners.
• Launch Services –
  • NSIL is responsible for providing launch services to global satellite customers on board SSLV, PSLV, GSLV (Geosynchronous Launch Vehicle) and GSLV MkIII (Mark III) launchers.
• Transfer of Technologies –
  • NSIL has been mandated to transfer the technologies developed by DoS/ISRO so that the benefits of the space programme are transferred to Indian industries thereby contributing towards technological self-reliance and national development.
• Building of satellites meant for earth observation, communication and providing in-orbit delivery services for customers.

NSIL’s  LMV3 Mission

NSIL has signed two launch service contracts with UK-based Network Access Associated Limited (OneWeb) for launching OneWeb Low Earth Orbit (LEO) broadband communication satellites (72 satellites) on board ISRO’s LVM 3 (Launch Vehicle Mark 3, previously known as GSLV-Mk III).

• On 23 October 2022, ISRO’s LVM-3 launched 36 satellites of OneWeb.
• ISRO’s LVM-3, in its second commercial launch on March 26, 2023, placed 36 OneWeb satellites in orbit.
• This contract with OneWeb is a historic milestone for NSIL and ISRO as LMV3 made entry into the global commercial launch service market. 

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