BEL and ISRO Partner to Boost Indigenous Space Tech

Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) has signed an MoU with ISRO's Space Applications Centre to develop infrastructure for manufacturing space-grade Travelling Wave Tube Amplifiers in India. This collaboration aims to enhance indigenous space production capabilities and save foreign exchange by reducing dependency on imports.

Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) announced on Monday that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with ISRO's Space Applications Centre (SAC) to collaborate on and indigenise infrastructure for manufacturing space-grade Travelling Wave Tube Amplifiers (TWTAs) in India.

The MoU, signed at SAC in Ahmedabad, aims to bolster indigenisation in both defence and space sectors and reduce the country’s foreign exchange outflow.

TWTAs, a complex technology requiring precise control of microwave interactions with electron beams under ultrahigh vacuum conditions, are critical for various satellite communication and navigation payloads, microwave remote sensing radar payloads, and scientific space missions. BEL has already established a state-of-the-art facility for this purpose.