Gujarat-Based Aerospace Firm Azista Launches Maiden Satellite 'ABA First Runner' On SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket

The satellite, called Azista BST Aerospace First Runner (AFR), was launched as part of the SpaceX Transporter-8 mission, atop a Falcon 9 rocket, from Space Launch Complex 4E, California.

Gujarat-based aerospace firm Azista BST Aerospace launched its maiden satellite Azista BST Aerospace First Runner (AFR), also called ABA First Runner, on June 13, 2023, at 2:49 am IST. The satellite was launched as part of the SpaceX Transporter-8 mission, atop a Falcon 9 rocket, from Space Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. 

Transporter-8 was SpaceX's eighth dedicated smallsat rideshare program mission, the Hawthorne-based aerospace firm said on its website. The Falcon 9 rocket launched a total of 72 spacecraft as part of Transporter-8, including CubeSats, MicroSats, a re-entry capsule, and orbital transfer vehicles carrying spacecraft to be deployed at a later time. 

This was SpaceX's 40th mission of 2023, and the firm's 200th successful recovery to date.

All about AFR

Azista BST Aerospace has a 50,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility capable of supporting the production of two satellites per week. The aerospace firm built AFR, an 80-kilogram satellite, on a modular bus platform. AFR is equipped with an optical remote sensing payload with both panchromatic and multispectral imaging capabilities, Azista BST Aerospace said on its website. 

According to the Centre for Remote Imaging, Sensing and Processing (CRISP), optical remote sensing makes use of visible, near-infrared and short-wave infrared sensors to form images of the Earth's surface by detecting the solar radiation reflected from targets on the ground. Panchromatic imaging capability is one in which the imaging object is sensitive to all visible colours of the spectrum, and multispectral imaging uses two or more wavelength ranges in the electromagnetic spectrum. 

According to Azista BST Aerospace, AFR is the first satellite of its size and performance built by the private space industry in India, capable of supporting various critical applications for civilian and defence purposes. 

In a statement released by Azista BST Aerospace, Managing Director Srinivas Reddy Male said the launch of AFR marks an exciting beginning to support the realisation of satellite constellations for various applications. He expressed his gratitude to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the Indian National Space Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), and the Indian Space Association (ISpA) for their support to help Azista BST Aerospace achieve the major milestone. 

Reddy Male said that Azista BST Aerospace's factory in Ahmedabad is geared up to produce 10 satellites like AFR by 2024. 

The aerospace firm wrote on LinkedIn that AFR has successfully separated from the Falcon 9 rocket, and that the first contact has been established. 

Congratulating Azista BST Aerospace on behalf of ISpA, Lt Gen AK Bhatt (Retd), Director General, ISpA, said the successful launch of AFR not only showcases India's unwavering dedication to the vision of an Atmanirbhar Bharat, but also marks a significant landmark for the Indian space industry in terms of streamlined production of satellites, and great precision on supply chain management and timelines, news agency ANI reported. 

What is next for Azista BST Aerospace?

Azista BST Aerospace has said on its website that the firm is committed to India's drive towards Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India initiatives, and that its annual production capacity of 100 microsatellites makes it the largest satellite manufacturing facility in India. 

According to the statement, Azista BST Aerospace has started the process of realising the next set of satellites which will be equipped with versatile payloads on modular satellite buses. The aerospace firm will launch several of these satellites within the next 24 months to establish space heritage, Azista BST Aerospace said on its website.