Space MAITRI mission

Current Context : Recently, NSIL (India) and Space Machines company (Australia) signed an agreement to launch Space Machines Company’s second Optimus spacecraft.

• New Space India Limited (NSIL) is under the Department of Space and is responsible for producing, assembling and integrating the launch vehicle.
• The 450kg Optimus spacecraft is the largest Australian-designed and built spacecraft is scheduled to launch in 2026 on ISRO’s Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV).

About Space MAITRI (Mission for Australia-India’s Technology, Research and Innovation) mission :

• It aims to foster closer ties among commercial, institutional and governmental space organizations from both countries in the space domain.