The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the nation’s space agency, has just released a list of over a hundred technologies to be transferred to the private sector.
Among the items is ISRO’s lithium-ion battery, which the agency will transfer for a one-time fee of approximately US$147,800 (₹100.00 lakhs). To expedite the process, ISRO has called for “competent Indian Industries/Start-ups on non-exclusive basis to establish Li-ion cell production facilities in the country”, and has opened a Request For Quotation (RFQ) round that will open on August 14 this year.
ISRO’s lithium-ion battery has been the subject of some government attention, with the Cabinet pushing ISRO to commercialize the technology for at least a year now. The government hopes that the lithium-ion battery will bolster the government’s drive to manufacture indigenous electric vehicles, which can be fitted with these batteries. ISRO has also stated that it hopes to contribute to a Zero Emission Policy in India, an initiative that was drafted to the Cabinet in April by the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog).
Other technologies ISRO will release in this round include a MEMS Acoustic sensor that can withstand extremely harsh environments. The indigenous MEMS Acoustic sensor has been used on 12 flights of the PSLV, ISRO’s workhorse launch vehicle.
ISRO is also offering a silicon-polymer-based thermal protection system, a special grade liquid phenolic matrix resin original used for liquid propulsion rocket engines, a space-qualified C-band Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit (MMIC), and a V-band Low Noise Amplifier.
