Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 13 Technopark-based space-tech startup HEX20 has been selected by the UAE Space Agency to develop a spacecraft for an asteroid probe, the company said on Tuesday.
HEX20 said it was the first Indian private company to be selected for a deep-space mission by the Gulf nation.
The spacecraft bus and software developed by HEX20 for the probe were unveiled in the presence of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, marking a milestone for the Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt, the company said in a statement.
HEX20 was selected by the Technology Innovation Institute (TII) and the UAE Space Agency in November 2024 following a design workshop to develop the probe spacecraft.
With an engineering presence at Technopark in Thiruvananthapuram and operations in the UAE based in Masdar City, HEX20 is contributing its spacecraft engineering expertise to the interplanetary programme, the statement said.
Its work includes developing the spacecraft bus, which supports the probe’s payload and operations, and software tailored to the mission’s technical requirements.
The company has developed an onboard computer and power systems designed to withstand the harsh conditions of deep space, it said.
HEX20 completed its work within 15 months through focused engineering and close collaboration with project partners, while meeting quality standards and mission requirements, the statement said.
HEX20 CEO Amal Chandran said the achievement demonstrated the company’s ability to deliver spacecraft systems for demanding missions.
The probe spacecraft was assembled in Abu Dhabi by TII’s Propulsion and Space Research Centre, in collaboration with the UAE Space Agency, HEX20, Khalifa University and the National Space Science and Technology Centre at UAE University, Chandran said.
The spacecraft will next travel to Colorado for integration with the MBR Explorer, a planned UAE Space Agency mission designed to visit seven main-belt asteroids. The mission is scheduled for launch in March 2028.
The MBR Explorer is expected to travel approximately five billion km over eight years, using gravity-assist manoeuvres around Venus, Earth and Mars to reach the main asteroid belt. It will fly past six asteroids before reaching its final target, asteroid 269 Justitia, Chandran said.
After the MBR Explorer enters orbit around 269 Justitia, the probe will separate from the spacecraft and descend autonomously towards the asteroid’s surface.
Justitia’s unusual reddish appearance makes it a compelling scientific target. Researchers believe it may have originated in the distant Kuiper Belt before migrating into the main asteroid belt, the statement said.
Studying its surface could provide insights into organic material and the distribution of water and other volatile substances during the formation of the Solar System, the company said.
The probe’s autonomous operation presents a significant engineering challenge, HEX20 said. While the MBR Explorer will remain in communication with mission control, the probe will have to execute its onboard programme independently, without instructions from Earth-based operators.
The autonomy built into the probe’s software is a significant capability developed by HEX20 that could also be applied to various Earth-based monitoring applications, the statement said.
HEX20, which operates in the US, the UAE and Taiwan, develops payload-agnostic satellite platforms and offers satellite mission-as-a-service and payload-hosting capabilities for customers conducting in-orbit demonstrations.
(PTI News)
