ISRO Picks HAL to Build Small Satellite Launch Vehicles, Eyes Atleast 6 Rockets Annually

After two-stage techno commercial bidding process, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Bengaluru has finally won a crucial contract to develop India’s Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSVL). In an official statement, space regulator IN-SPACe and ISRO said the company aims to produce 6-12 SSLV rockets per year.

With this, HAL will now become the third rocket producer in India, after space tech start-ups Skyroot Aerospace (Hyderabad) and Agnikul Cosmos (Chennai).

During a media interaction, IN-SPACe chairman Pawan Kumar Goenka said HAL will need to develop two prototypes, when ISRO will transfer SSLV technology to the company in the next two years.

He stated that HAL secured the contract with the highest bid of ₹511 crore, outbidding two other consortiums – one led by Bengaluru-based Alpha Design and the other by Hyderabad-based Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL).

For the first evaluation stage, nearly six companies were shortlisted. And in the second stage, three companies including HAL, Alpha Design, and BDL. These firms were selected by an expert committee whose members are former Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, Vijay Raghavan, among others.

For the first two years, while technology transfer is in progress and HAL is building prototypes, the company must stick to ISRO’s existing supply chain and cannot modify the design.

Once this phase is complete, HAL will have the flexibility to select its own vendors. “We also want to see improvements in the SSLV design,” Goenka noted, adding that ISRO will play an advisory role in the enhancement process.

Goenka mentioned that HAL will make an initial payment from the ₹511 crore bid at the time of contract signing, with the remaining amount to be paid over the next two years.

A HAL official added that the company aims to offer competitively priced rocket launch services but declined to share exact pricing details.