Spacetech startup: Spacetech startup Bellatrix Aerospace to commercialise propulsion systems

The company achieved a significant milestone with the launch of its propulsion systems – Rudra and Arka – on board the national space agency’s PSLV C-58 launch vehicle on January 1. This gives the company its first space qualification.

“Our immediate priorities from here on involve setting up a factory for production and taking on all the interest of commercial orders we have been getting from abroad,” cofounder and chief operating officer Yashas Karanam told ET.

The startup – backed by BASF Venture Capital, the corporate venture company of BASF SE and early-stage venture capital firm Inflexor Ventures – had earlier tested Arka in 2021, and subsequently launched Rudra in 2022.

Rudra – ideal for satellite missions with high thrust requirements – is a green propulsion system that replaces hydrazine with a non-toxic and environmentally friendly proprietary propellant, as per the company’s website. Arka is an electric engine-based propulsion system that uses electricity instead of conventional chemical propellants.

“We are elated to report that both Rudra and Arka are operating in space as per design specifications…. Temperature, pressure, current and voltage levels from onboard sensors were validated for both Arka and Rudra reassuring payload performance in alignment to ground test results,” Rohan M Ganapathy, cofounder, chief executive and chief technology officer of Bellatrix Aerospace, said in a blogpost.

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“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,” he added.

The company achieved a significant milestone with the launch of its propulsion systems – Rudra and Arka – on board the national space agency’s PSLV C-58 launch vehicle on January 1. This gives the company its first space qualification.

“Our immediate priorities from here on involve setting up a factory for production and taking on all the interest of commercial orders we have been getting from abroad,” cofounder and chief operating officer Yashas Karanam told ET.

The startup – backed by BASF Venture Capital, the corporate venture company of BASF SE and early-stage venture capital firm Inflexor Ventures – had earlier tested Arka in 2021, and subsequently launched Rudra in 2022.

Rudra – ideal for satellite missions with high thrust requirements – is a green propulsion system that replaces hydrazine with a non-toxic and environmentally friendly proprietary propellant, as per the company’s website. Arka is an electric engine-based propulsion system that uses electricity instead of conventional chemical propellants.

“We are elated to report that both Rudra and Arka are operating in space as per design specifications…. Temperature, pressure, current and voltage levels from onboard sensors were validated for both Arka and Rudra reassuring payload performance in alignment to ground test results,” Rohan M Ganapathy, cofounder, chief executive and chief technology officer of Bellatrix Aerospace, said in a blogpost.

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“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,” he added.