Bengaluru spacetech startup advances toward sustainable space missions

New Delhi, Jan 9: Bellatrix Aerospace, one of the first private spacetech startups to be established in the country, has announced the successful testing of its propulsion systems, entirely developed in-house.

The Bengaluru-based firm’s Rudra and Arka propulsion systems were launched onboard the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO)’s PSLV C-58 launch vehicle on New Year’s Day.

The company had earlier tested the Hall-Effect Thruster (HET) Arka in 2021. The HET is an ion thruster that utilises an electric field to accelerate a spacecraft’s propulsion. Thus, Arka’s compact design and potent thrust use electricity instead of conventional chemical propellants.

“These [Arka] engines offer superior fuel efficiency and precise control, paving the way for longer-lasting and more manoeuvrable satellites. Arka is ideal for satellite missions with high efficiency requirements,” the company claimed in a statement.

The high-performance green propulsion system Rudra was unveiled in 2022. The system seeks to replace the hazardous hydrazine—a chemical compound of nitrogen and hydrogen that is the most commonly used rocket fuel today—with a non-toxic, environmentally friendly, high-performance proprietary propellant. Being highly toxic and unstable, hydrazine requires handlers to wear special gear.

“This innovative technology minimises the environmental impact of toxic propellants, aligning India’s space programme with the global push for sustainable exploration. Rudra is ideal for satellite missions with high thrust requirements,” the company added.

The PSLV-C58 mission carrying the X-ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat) to study X-ray emissions from black holes and neutron stars also included ten secondary payloads developed by Indian spacetech firms, academic institutions and ISRO centres. These were tested as part of the PSLV Orbital Experimental Module-3 (POEM-3) after XPoSat’s insertion into orbit.

A significant milestone

“This test marks a significant milestone for Bellatrix, validating not just the performance of the thrusters but the entire spectrum of subsystems meticulously developed in-house,” said an elated Rohan M Ganapathy, CEO & CTO of Bellatrix Aerospace.

“Bellatrix nailed history by space qualifying two of its flagship products on a single mission. This successful launch is a testament to the collective efforts of the Indian space community and the growing capabilities of private space enterprises,” added Yashas Karanam, COO.

The 200W Arka HET has several firsts to its credit, including the world’s first heater-less hollow cathode in space to offer improved reliability, prolonged life and mass and power savings, highly compact and efficient power and control electronics for the outer space environment, and proprietary valves and a propellant flow control system.

The 1N Rudra Green Propulsion System also comes packed with new technologies such as the world’s first 3D printed positive expulsion tank for a CubeSat propulsion system, proprietary high-performance green propellant, an innovative high-temperature catalyst, fast-acting valves, and proprietary thermal and oxidation barrier coatings.

Founded by Ganapathy and Karanam in 2015, Bellatrix Aerospace has raised a total of $11 million in funding since its inception.