Hyderabad:
Hyderabad-based spacetech company Dhruva Space has announced a strategic collaboration with Sodern ArianeGroup, a French specialist in optical and inertial instrumentation for the space and defence sectors. This partnership will see the deployment of Sodern’s advanced star trackers aboard Dhruva Space’s upcoming satellite missions.
The agreement, revealed during an official business delegation to France and Italy led by Minister Piyush Goyal, supports stronger Indo-French cooperation in manufacturing and deeptech sectors. Dhruva Space’s CEO and Co-founder Sanjay Nekkanti represented the company and also participated as Co-Chair of FICCI’s Space & Geospatial Data Committee.
Under Dhruva Space’s LEAP (Launching Expeditions for Aspiring Payloads) program, Sodern’s latest HORUS star tracker will fly as a hosted payload on a satellite mission planned for 2026. The HORUS payload will be integrated into Dhruva’s indigenous P-30 nanosatellite platform, known for its modular design and flight-proven systems.
The platform and its critical subsystems—such as avionics, power units, and attitude control interfaces—were validated during the LEAP-TD mission launched aboard ISRO’s PSLV-C58 POEM-3 in 2024.
Alongside this mission, Dhruva Space has selected Sodern’s Auriga star tracker as its go-to attitude determination system for several upcoming missions. The Auriga, with over 1,800 units in orbit, is known for its cost-efficiency and robust technical capabilities.
Sodern ArianeGroup Chairman and CEO Vincent Dedieu commented on the agreement, saying, “This collaboration highlights the growing importance of Indo-French cooperation in space technology. Partnering with Dhruva Space allows us to validate the HORUS system in orbit while also contributing to India’s space innovation ecosystem.”
He further added, “HORUS is a high-performance, autonomous star tracker tailored for telecom applications. We’re equally pleased that Dhruva has chosen our Auriga system, reinforcing our commitment to supporting missions with proven and affordable solutions.”
Sanjay Nekkanti expressed confidence in the collaboration, stating, “The legacy of India-France collaboration in space has always been built on shared values and technological excellence. Our work with Sodern is a natural extension of this tradition. By integrating their advanced attitude sensors into our modular satellite platforms, we are accelerating reliable and scalable access to orbit for global customers.”
Dhruva Space, a private space company with end-to-end satellite solutions, offers integrated satellite, launch, and ground segment services. The firm aims to power a wide range of space-based applications from Earth observation to telecommunications.
