Azista BST Aerospace, envisioning mass manufacturing of satellites built in India for the global market, launched its first satellite ABA First Runner (AFR), aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on 12th June 2023, 02:19 PM PST as part of the Transporter 8 Mission.

Azista BST Aerospace has created a state-of-the-art 50,000-square-foot facility capable of supporting the production of 2 satellites per week. The first satellite, AFR, is an 80kg satellite built on a modular bus platform and hosts a wide-swath optical remote sensing payload with both panchromatic & multispectral imaging capabilities. AFR represents 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 defense purposes.

Azista BST Aerospace is committed to India's drive towards Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India initiatives. Managing Director Srinivas Reddy Male said, "The launch of AFR marks an exciting beginning to support the realization of satellite constellations for various applications. Our factory in Ahmedabad is already geared up to produce 10 of these satellites in 2024."

Director Sunil Indurti stated, "Azista BST Aerospace invites researchers and organizations interested in exploring the use of fresh satellite data for various geospatial applications to get in touch with us and take advantage of this exciting opportunity."

Azista BST Aerospace is already in the process of realizing the next set of satellites to demonstrate its capabilities with versatile payloads with its modular satellite buses. Several of these satellites will be launched within the next 12-24 months to establish space heritage and solidify vertically integrated production capabilities from India.

Click here to learn about Satellite Buses from Azista BST Aerospace.