With new arm, ISRO can speed up rocket production

Chennai: With the setting up of a new commercial arm-New Space India Limited (NSIL)- the Indian space agency will now be able to produce fast its new rocket Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) and commercialise its other technologies.
Delivering her maiden budget speech on Friday, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said: “India is now a major space power with the technology and ability to launch satellites and other space products at globally low cost”.
“Time has come to harness this ability commercially,” Sitharaman said.
She said the new company NSIL will tap the benefits of the research and development (R&D) carried out by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
“The Company will spearhead commercialisation of various space products including production of launch vehicles, transfer to technologies and marketing of space products,” she said.
The ISRO Chairman K.Sivan had told IANS that the space agency wants to give a big push for production of the SSLV.