Heralding a momentous achievement in the country’s space sector, small satellite manufacturing company HEX20 has successfully launched and established contact with ‘Nila’, India’s first private payload hosting satellite.

Developed in just four months, ‘Nila’, which represents a significant step forward inprivate satellite technology and innovation, was launched via Berlin-based satellite deployer company Exolaunch aboard SpaceX Transporter-13 on March 15 at 12:13 pm (IST), with successful separation from the launch vehicle occurring less than an hour later at 1:07 pm(IST).

After hours of feverish anticipation, a critical milestone was reached when the beacon signal was received at HEX20’s Satellite Control Center on March 16.

As part of this mission, HEX20 carried Release Actuators as the payload, from a German space company – Dcubed, demonstrating HEX20’s commitment to fostering global partnerships for rideshare missions.

The satellite is named after Kerala’s culturally significant river Nila. Interestingly, Technopark, too, has one of its buildings named Nila, where HEX20 is located.

The HEX20 team will be conducting the commissioning of Nila from its recently inaugurated Ground Station located at Marian Engineering College, Menamkulam in Kerala’s capital, ensuring the satellite’s operational capabilities and mission success. HEX20 is training a team of faculty members and students at the college in operating the ground station facility.

An exuberant Shri MB Aravind, Co-Founder & Director, HEX20, said, “This mission was about more than just launching a satellite—it was about proving what’s possible when passion meets innovation. HEX20 extends its gratitude to the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) for their unwavering support in enabling this mission, as well as to all partners and supporters who contributed to this success.”

He added: “This launch marks the beginning of many more ambitious endeavours from HEX20 and its partners in the evolving landscape of space exploration.”

Shri Anurag Reghu, CTO & Co-Founder, Hex20, said, “Next year, we look forward to flying our 50 kg satellite on ISRO’s launch vehicle. Along with offering our customizable and high-performance spacecraft and components, we aim to enhance the current capabilities of institutions and private organisations globally through our FlatSats and capacity-building programmes.”

In 2023, HEX20 entered into a strategic collaboration with iSpace Inc. to stimulate demand for affordable lunar satellite missions across the globe. The MoU was inked at the 74th International Astronautical Conference (IAC) held in Baku, Azerbaijan, in October 2023.

Japan-based iSpace Inc. is a global lunar resource development firm. HEX20’s partnership with the global major aims to leverage the combined technical prowess and regional network of the two pioneering companies.

HEX20 is also establishing partnerships with leading academic institutions such as the National Central University in Taiwan and the University of Colorado’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) in USA.

Besides aiming to give an impetus to the efforts of creating a space ecosystem, HEX20 set up its state-of-the-art R&D facility at Technopark, India’s first IT Park, on May 1, 2023. 

“This year, we plan to expand our lab facilities to support the development of multiple satellites. This facility is well positioned to serve as the ultimate catalyst for innovation, collaboration and the pursuit of excellence in the state’s space technology field,” Anurag divulged.

HEX20, which has a presence in Australia, the UAE and Taiwan, has partnered with the domestic manufacturing network that plays a pivotal role in ISRO missions. It builds payload-agnostic satellite platforms and offers satellite mission as a service and payload hosting capabilities to its customers.