Aramane emphasizes importance of combining indigenisation with innovation
Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX), the flagship initiative of the Ministry of Defence, has signed a landmark 350th contract in New Delhi on 25 June 2024 with SpacePixxel Technologies Pvt Ltd for the design and development of a ‘Miniaturised satellite capable of carrying Electro-Optical, Infrared, Synthetic Aperture Radar, and Hyperspectral payloads up to 150 kgs’.
This challenge is being led by the Indian Air Force. The 150th iDEX https://idex.gov.in/ contract was signed in December 2022, and within a span of 18 months, the 350th contract has been signed, said the Defence Ministry.
The contract was exchanged between Additional Secretary (Defence Production) & CEO, Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO) Anurag Bajpai and Founder & CEO of SpacePixxel Technologies Pvt Ltd Awais Ahmed Nadeem Alduri in the presence of Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane and other senior civil & military officials of the Ministry of Defence https://mod.gov.in/ .
SpacePixxel http://pixxel.space has been actively working to build and launch high-resolution hyperspectral imaging satellites to provide detailed earth observation data.
This 350th iDEX contract enables innovation in space electronics, wherein many payloads earlier deployed on dedicated large satellites are now being miniaturised. The modular small satellite will integrate multiple miniaturised payloads as per requirement, providing advantages like faster and economical deployment, ease of manufacturing, scalability, adaptability, and less environmental impact https://www.nseindia.com/ .
In his address, Defence Secretary Aramane appreciated the unwavering commitment of new defence innovators for pushing the boundaries of technology and safeguarding the nation https://www.bseindia.com/ .
Emphasising the importance of combining indigenisation with innovation, he stated that domestic capabilities provide a foundation for fostering innovation by offering a platform for experimentation and development https://www.ibef.org/ .
Innovation fuels indigenisation by driving the creation of new technologies and solutions that can be produced domestically, he said, assuring all possible support to the innovators at every step https://www.makeinindia.com/home/ .
iDEX has launched 11 editions of the Defence India Start-up Challenge (DISC), and recently unveiled the Acing Development of Innovative Technologies with iDEX (ADITI) scheme to promote innovations in critical and strategic defence technologies https://www.digitalasiahub.org/ .
In a brief period, iDEX has successfully gained momentum, fostering a burgeoning community of start-ups within the defence sector. It is currently engaged with over 400 start-ups https://www.startupindia.gov.in/ and MSMEs https://msme.gov.in/ . Till now, procurement of 35 items, worth over Rs.2,000 crore, has been cleared. iDEX has facilitated the creation of numerous job opportunities and played a pivotal role in the development of the defence ecosystem. Fiinews.com
