On March 15, 2025, SpaceX successfully launched the 'NILA' satellite as part of its Transporter-13 mission, marking a significant milestone for Kerala's space start-up HEX20. Named after Kerala's longest river, Nila is India's first private payload hosting satellite and was developed in just four months. The satellite carries an actuator payload from the German firm Decubed and is designed to control critical components such as solar arrays and antennas in space missions.

The launch took place at 12:13 PM IST, with successful separation from the Falcon 9 rocket occurring at 1:07 PM IST. By March 16, HEX20 confirmed the reception of the first signal from NILA at its control centre located at Marian Engineering College in Thiruvananthapuram.

This project was supported by the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) and received backing from ISRO, which also facilitated the establishment of a ground tracking station at the engineering college.

HEX20 was founded in 2020 by five friends—Lloyd Jacob Lopez, Anurag Reghu, Amal Chandran, Ashwin Chandran, and Aravind M B—and began operations from Technopark in 2023. The company aims to enhance India's private space sector by developing payload-agnostic satellite platforms and offering satellite mission services.

The successful launch of NIAL is seen as a foundational step for future space missions, with plans for a subsequent project involving a 50 kg satellite in collaboration with ISRO next year.

The HEX20 team is also committed to training students and faculty at Marian Engineering College to operate the ground station, fostering local expertise in space technology. As noted by Amal Chandran, HEX20's chief technical officer, this mission not only represents a technological achievement but also strengthens global partnerships and opens new avenues for research and commercial applications in space exploration.

Agencies