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Godrej Aerospace, and Walchandnagar Industries Ltd are among private sector companies that have contributed to the making of the GSLV Mark III rocket.
Godrej has supplied the two Vikas engines for the second-stage (L-110) of the rocket, and the six thrusters on the CREW module. Walchandnagar chipped in with motorcases, tankages and ‘end rings’ for the first stage (S-200).
“Sixty per cent of the cost of the rocket flows to the private sector,” says the Outcome Budget document of the Department of Space, adding that over 500 small and medium companies make rocket components.
But is the business profitable? S M Vaidya, Executive Vice President, Godrej Aerospace preferred not to answer the question, while Mr G K Pillai, MD & CEO of Walchandnagar Industries observed that supplying to ISRO was “sexy business which gives you a kick”.
Sources in the space industry observed that ISRO’s component suppliers have invested for much higher volumes than they are getting.
ISRO has been tasked to doing 25 launches in the 12{+t}{+h} Five Year, but so far only ten (including the GSLV Mark III) have happened so far.
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