State-owned telecom company ITI Limited has received special recognition from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for its critical contribution to the successful launch of the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite.

The satellite, jointly developed by NASA and ISRO, was launched on July 30, 2025, aboard the GSLV-F16 rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, and marks a milestone in Indo-US space collaboration, being hailed as the world’s most expensive Earth-imaging satellite mission, with a project cost estimated at USD 1.5 billion.

The advanced satellite, weighing 2,393 kilograms, was placed into its intended orbit with high precision and is designed to deliver unprecedented Earth observation data through the use of dual-band radar technology, enabling detection of minute changes in the Earth’s surface.

ITI Limited’s Palakkad unit in Kerala played a pivotal role in the mission by delivering 28 avionics packages and 18 Head-end Mounted Safe Arm (HMSA) systems. These avionics systems were integral to the successful integration and functioning of the GSLV-F16 launch vehicle. The fabrication and assembly of these high-precision systems were executed in strict compliance with the quality and technical standards of ISRO’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), highlighting ITI’s capability to undertake sophisticated space-grade manufacturing tasks.

Acknowledging ISRO’s appreciation, Rajesh Rai, Chairman and Managing Director of ITI Limited, expressed pride in the organisation’s long-standing partnership with India’s space agency. He stated that ISRO’s continued trust in ITI’s manufacturing excellence was a “shining testimony” of its engineering quality and capabilities.

He also recalled ITI’s historic contributions to past landmark ISRO missions such as Chandrayaan (Lunar Mission), Mangalyaan (Mars Orbiter Mission), Aditya-L1 (solar observatory mission), and LVM3 M2/OneWeb India-1 (satellite launch for global connectivity).

Rai reaffirmed ITI’s preparedness to contribute to upcoming high-priority projects, most notably India’s first human spaceflight endeavour, the Gaganyaan mission, thereby underlining the company’s role as a trusted industry partner in the nation’s ambitious space journey.

From ISRO’s perspective, the contributions of ITI Limited were described as indispensable to the mission’s success. Sheena Abraham, Group Director of the Electronics Production Group at ESAE (Electronics Systems Actuators Entity), ISRO, specifically praised the efforts of the Palakkad unit’s team in the fabrication and rigorous testing of avionics packages for the GSLV-F16 launcher.

She highlighted that ITI’s commitment to quality and adherence to ISRO’s exacting benchmarks ensured the successful execution of the NISAR mission, further emphasizing that collaboration with capable industry partners such as ITI is invaluable to ISRO’s ability to sustain its leadership in space research and exploration.

The successful deployment of the NISAR satellite also marks a significant stride in international scientific cooperation. The mission, jointly spearheaded by ISRO and NASA, is expected to deliver high-resolution radar imagery for applications in climate science, disaster management, agriculture, forestry, land-use monitoring, and natural resource management.

It will allow precise tracking of changes in ice sheets, forest biomass, wetlands, and agricultural lands, thereby providing critical data to scientists and policymakers across the globe.

ISRO’s recognition of ITI Limited not only underscores the critical role the public sector enterprise (PSU) plays in supporting India’s space program but also reflects India’s broader industrial advancement in the domain of high-technology manufacturing and systems integration.

This appreciation strengthens ITI’s stature as a pioneer in indigenous technology development and as a reliable contributor to national and international space research missions, reinforcing the synergy between India’s industrial base and its ambitious space exploration goals.

Agencies