ISRO comes up with new industrial participation policy

CHENNAI: Indian Space Research Organisation has come up with an industry participation policy that will enable increased procurement of hardware and software systems and services from Indian industry for the space research body''s future launches.
"The policy also envisages use of production facilities of the industry as far as possible and avoid investment for such facility in house," says the latest edition of "Space India", ISRO''s official journal.
The policy commits ISRO to buy-back hardware components from industry on a long-term basis, allows opportunities for use of ISRO facilities by industry and ISRO personnel to work in industry to take up R&D activities.
The ISRO industry association which started at a modest level has increased over the years especially in the industry-intensive launch vehicle area, the journal says, adding that more than 500 industries - small, medium and large scale - were associated with ISRO either through procurement contracts, knowhow transfers or provision of technical consultations.
Stating that "today a major portion of the Indian space budget flows into the industry," the journal says that so far 245 technologies developed under the Indian space programme have been transferred to industries for commercial exploitation.
"These include software programmes, satellite services, mechanical and hydraulic components, testing machine, surface coating machine and microwave components," the journal says.