Bengaluru, May 26 (IANS) Avasarala Technologies Ltd, the city-based tier-1 supplier of critical components to strategic sectors, has secured more orders to supply heat pipes for Indian satellites, a top official said on Thursday.
"We have got additional orders from ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) to supply heat pipes for satellites it launches for various applications," Avasarala chief executive T.T. Mani told reporters here at an event.
As an import-substitute component, the pipes are used in satellites to collect heat generated by electronic devices and release it in space to keep them cool.
"Made of light-weight aluminium, heat pipes keep spacecraft cool and stabilise inside temperature, as thermal uniformity is critical for orbiting satellites under adverse solar heating," said Mani.
The company handed over its 3,000th heat pipe to ISRO satellite centre director M. Annadurai at its factory here.
Promoted by eight former technocrats of state-run Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) here over three decades ago, the privately-held company also supplies critical components and subsystems to diverse industries spanning nuclear, defence, aerospace, factory automation and healthcare.
The state-run Indian space agency had used all the 2,986 heat pipes the company supplied since 2003 in 38 satellites launched for communications, broadcasting, remote-sensing and space exploration such as Chandrayaan-1 and Mars orbiter.
"We also make high frequency wave guides that open solar panels of satellites after their deployment in the intended orbits, for converting sunlight into thermal energy and keep their instruments, including transponders charged," Mani said.
The company has also received orders to make subsystems for semi-cryogenic engines the space agency is developing for launching heavy rockets to carry four-tonne and above satellites from its spaceport at Sriharikota, about 80 km northeast of Chennai.
"As ISRO plans to launch heavier satellites into geo-stationary orbits, we are partnering with it to make sub-systems for its semi-cryogenic engines used in a heavy rocket's upper stage for deploying the spacecraft," Mani noted.
The Rs.260-crore company with 650 employees has invested about Rs.200 crore in setting up its two manufacturing facilities in the city and a third assembly unit in Puducherry.
