Optimized builds satellites to focus on Earth, space traffic

Ahmedabad-based industrial engineering and deep-tech firm Optimized Group is set to launch its inaugural satellite, which will primarily concentrate on Earth observation, according to managing director Sandeep Shah. The second satellite in development will focus on space situational awareness, with a specific emphasis on tracking space traffic and managing the growing complexity of space environment, Shah revealed to ET.

This new venture positions Optimized in direct competition with Bengaluru-based space technology startup Digantara.

Optimized Group's operations are structured through subsidiary companies, such as Optimized Solutions and Bengaluru-based Optimized Electrotech. The conglomerate has been engaged in satellite development for over two decades, specializing in space payloads, testing infrastructure, electronic assemblies, and harnesses. The company has secured orders for multiple satellites and anticipates that satellite deliveries will soon become its primary source of revenue in the space sector, surpassing payload fabrication and testing by the following year.

Currently, satellite bus construction is underway at Optimized Group's facility in Ahmedabad, while imaging payloads are being manufactured at Optimized Electrotech's unit in Bengaluru. Furthermore, the company is working on a strategic satellite project, which was selected following a challenge under the Defence Ministry's Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) program.

While Shah refrained from disclosing further details due to the sensitive nature of the project, he confirmed that the strategic satellite includes an assured minimum pilot quantity. Optimized Group was among the recipients of the initial ADITI scheme, offering grants of up to Rs 25 crore for critical defense technologies.