New Delhi, June 26 : The Defence Ministry's flagship initiative Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) on Tuesday signed a landmark 350th contract for the design and development of a miniaturised satellite for the Indian Air Force.

The contract was inked 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", a Ministry statement said, adding that 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," it added.

The contract was exchanged between Additional Secretary, Defence Production, & CEO, Defence Innovation Organisation Anurag Bajpai and SpacePixxel Technologies Pvt Ltd Founder & CEO Awais Ahmed Nadeem Alduri in the presence of Defence Secretary Shri Giridhar Aramane and other senior civil & military officials of the Ministry of Defence.

SpacePixxel has been actively working to build and launch high-resolution hyperspectral imaging satellites to provide detailed earth observation data.

The Defence Ministry noted that the 150th iDEX contract was signed in December 2022, and within a span of 18 months, the 350th contract has been signed.

Defence Secretary Aramane appreciated the new defence innovators' "unwavering commitment" to pushing the boundaries of technology and safeguarding the nation. 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. 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.

iDEX, the recipient of the Prime Minister Award for Public Policy in Innovation Category in 2021, has emerged as a game-changer in the defence ecosystem. Established by the DIO under the Department of Defence Production, iDEX has launched 11 editions of the Defence India Start-up Challenge (DISC). Till now, procurement of 35 items, worth over Rs 2,000 crore, has been cleared.

/IANS