How many satellites are out there right now? According to the Index of Objects Launched into Outer Space, maintained by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), 11,330 satellites were orbiting the Earth at the end of June 2023.
What is more interesting is that 2022 witnessed the launch of 2,474 satellites, the most since 1957 when humans could send only two.
That’s a staggering number when one thinks about the fuel and the resources needed to launch something into outer space, let alone dealing with the problem of space debris. Burning 5,000 litres of rocket fuel per second during lift-offs is no small feat, but it’s also not the most eco-friendly mode.
The sustainability issues concerned Rohan Ganapathy and Yashas Karanam more than a decade ago, and today, as the founders of Bellatrix Aerospace, they have developed a “green” propulsion system that replaces hydrazine in satellite thrusters.
Originally developed as a rocket fuel by German scientists during the Second World War, hydrazine is an inorganic compound that reacts with organic compounds to form alkyl hydrazines, which is eventually used as fuel in rocket and jet propulsion. Not only is it hazardous to nature, but also said to be potentially carcinogenic and toxic for humans.
The European Union has banned the use of hydrazine in satellite propulsion systems. Bellatrix’s primary focus is on creating green and sustainable alternatives.
The startup has developed four products in the propulsion category – Arka, Rudra, Jal, and Rudra nano – and is close to breaking through into the big leagues with some global deals, according to cofounder Karanam.
Bellatrix Aerospace’s Space Stack
Friends since their college days, the cofounders joined forces in 2012 for a college project and decided to build a sustainable electric propulsion platform for satellites powered by water. What started as a college project eventually matured to become Bellatrix Aerospace in 2015.
At first, the duo found it challenging to convince the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to implement its platform in test beds, and after a period of pitching and proving the tech’s capabilities, Bellatrix signed an MoU with the agency to build thrusters and propulsion systems for smaller satellites.
After the first demonstration of the water-based propulsion system at ISRO, Bellatrix started building its green monopropellant thruster, the Rudra series, in 2016. It used a proprietary propulsion technology that could replace the traditional chemical hydrazine-based systems.
Cofounder Karanam claims Bellatrix’s green propellant system offers a more sustainable solution with over 60% reduction in handling costs compared to hydrazine. Additionally, it has more than 35% higher density than hydrazine.
Bellatrix has also built a series of Hall effect thrusters (HETs) branded Arka. The HETs are widely used electric propulsion systems that typically use xenon and krypton gases to generate plasma. Bellatrix’s Arka uses a similar technology.
The startup claims its solution is unique because it has achieved improvements in the performance and operational life of satellites using HETs, all while reducing costs and weight compared to existing solutions in the market.
The startup took five years (from 2016 to 2021) to complete the ground development of Rudra and Arka, which received clearance for launch at the end of 2023.
“Satellites have to work flawlessly for almost 15 to 20 years without any overhauling or scope for anybody to go to space and repair them. We have to test our propulsion systems to ensure that they can work for 20 years in an environment with high levels of radiation and extreme temperatures. There were stringent levels of tests for three years to clear all the requirements that companies globally follow and space agencies recommend,” added Karanam.
Since its inception, the company has raised a total of $11 Mn from BASF Venture Capital GmbH, Inflexor Ventures, Pavestone Capital, and the Mankind Pharma family office.
While both Rudra and Arka were launched onboard ISRO’s PSLV C-58 launch vehicle in January this year, Bellatrix’s first product, the water-based propulsion system (Jal), is yet to clear ground qualification, which is taking more space qualification time than usual.
Bellatrix claims that the Jal series of microwave plasma thrusters offer the highest thrust-to-power ratio for an electrical propulsion system and 4X higher specific impulse compared to chemical propulsion systems.
Given that it’s water-based, this system significantly reduces the cost of flying, and is highly reliable and easy to handle, the founder claimed. However, Jal is more efficient for geostationary satellites, unlike its other products that largely cater to the low earth orbit (LEO) satellites.
Bellatrix completed the development of Jal in 2016 and later delivered Jal to ISRO. However, it is unlikely to get launched any time this year.
The startup’s other product, Rudra nano (the size of a fingernail, as claimed by the founder) is a nano propulsion system built in a semiconductor fab and can cater to the smallest CubeSats. Small satellites often face challenges in finding the right propulsion system in the market, which Bellatrix claims it can solve with better cost and time efficiency thanks to its years of experience in this space.
Currently, this nano propulsion system is also undergoing ground qualification. Besides its propulsion systems, Bellatrix has built an orbit transfer vehicle, Pushpak. This is a multi-mission platform capable of accommodating CubeSats and small satellites weighing up to 750 kgs.
Government As A Customer
On the business side, Bellatrix’s potential customers fall into different categories. The first is satellite and spacetech companies such as Pixxel and GalaxEye, as well as global players like Planet Labs.
Besides this, the company also works with smaller satellite providers looking for advanced propulsion solutions, major aerospace companies with space divisions, such as Boeing and Airbus, and other players who are working to solve the use of hydrazine in propulsion.
Naturally as a space tech company, Bellatrix Aerospace also has to engage with government agencies, and national governments comprise a large part of the startup’s customer base. Currently, ISRO and DRDO are the top customers of Bellatrix. The startup has also received a few projects from the Defence Ministry’s iDEX (Innovations for Defence Excellence) grant.
Without revealing the name, Karanam claimed that the spacetech startup has recently roped in a global customer. More announcements on global collaborations are in the pipeline, he added.
With the recent relaxation of the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) norms, Bellatrix, like most other Indian spacetech startups, is also eyeing business with NASA. Going forward, the B2G or business-to-government revenue stream is expected to only comprise a small portion of the total revenue, according to Karanam.
While the company has only just started generating revenue, the cofounder is confident of clocking $25 Mn in revenue by FY27 or just over two years from now.
Venturing Into New Spaces
To scale its business, Bellatrix is expanding to a new five-acre site at High Tech Aerospace Park in Bengaluru. This will be in addition to a spacecraft propulsion lab and a manufacturing facility in the city. With a global partnership in their kitty, the founders now want to establish their presence in the European market and the US.
On the technology front, Bellatrix Aerospace is making another significant stride by solving the problem of ultra-low-earth orbit satellites that would fly at altitudes below 200 Km.
“Although ultra-LEO satellites improve image capture efficiency and reduce communication latency with ground stations, they also face significant atmospheric drag,” Karanam said.
However, Bellatrix claims that its in-house Project 200 platform, which recently had a technology demonstration at the Space Expo 2024, will solve the problem.
In addition to an electric propulsion system using air as fuel for ultra-LEO satellites, Bellatrix is now exploring satellite manufacturing for this segment.
However, the startup faces tough competition from Safran and L3Harris, as well as global startups like ENPULSION and Apollo Fusion.
While Bellatrix claims to have made significant tech advancements in the burgeoning Indian spacetech ecosystem, there is hardly any insight into the company’s revenues. Plus, the competition is on the prowl and will want to cash in on the best of market opportunities that emerge from a handful of clients.
Amid this, does Bellatrix Aerospace’s painstakingly developed propulsion platform have enough to take it to the next stage?
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