The Celestial Bond

ISRO works with more than 400 companies in the country, with businesses ranging from under Rs 1 crore to Rs 200 crore a year. About 80% of the launch vehicle and 60% of the spacecraft are made privately by the 400-odd companies that work with ISRO.

Centum For Micro-Electronics

Centum Electronics operates in quiet mode partly because of the nature of its work — developing components for space and defence programmes around the world. In a few months, Centum should have had something special to tell its customers: some of its products will be on the moon, near its south pole.

Being one of the largest contractors of ISRO, Centum makes 50 different varieties of components for satellites and launch vehicles. The company has specialised in micro-electronic components that have repeated functions in many parts of rockets and satellites.

L&T For Heat Shield

L&T made the 3.2-m solid motor, largest so far in the country and the third largest ever in space history.

It also made the inter-stage connectors and the heat shield for the spacecraft. Since facilities are expensive, they have to be used for multiple projects, thereby offering more business opportunities.

Godrej For Cryogenic Engines


Godrej Aerospace makes cryogenic and liquid engines for the GSLV Mark III.

It also makes liquid engines that will be used to raise the orbit before the spacecraft begins its journey to the moon. They will also be used to slow it down once it reaches the moon and then even further during descent.

Avasarala For Heat Pipes

Avasarala, one of Bangalore's numerous but small high-tech companies, developed space-quality heat pipes.

These transfer heat from one area and dissipate it elsewhere and are critical in space where it may be cold on one side and hot on the other. On the moon, temperatures can reach 100 degrees Celsius during the day — one day on the moon is equal to 14 days on earth.

Shrinking Subsystems

Karnataka Hybrid Devices optimised real estate on the spacecraft by shrinking subsystems. It supplies around 2,000 such small components to ISRO, all of which go into satellites.

For Avionics

Hyderabad-based Ananth Technologies, which is now building a large facility in Bangalore, makes a variety of components: avionics, telemetry, navigation sensors, power management systems and so on.

A moon mission is business as usual for most of these companies. And yet, it is different, as some of their components will be tested in tough manoeuvres in one of the harshest environments.