Hyderabad, June 17, 2024—Dhruva Space announces the conclusion of its Thybolt mission, marking a significant achievement in satellite technology. The mission, which involved Dhruva Space’s maiden satellites Thybolt-1 and Thybolt-2, has successfully completed a combined total of 15,000 orbits in Low-Earth Orbit (LEO).
Launched on November 26, 2022, aboard ISRO‘s PSLV-C54, the Thybolt mission coincided with Dhruva Space’s 10th anniversary. This milestone mission underscored Dhruva Space’s pioneering role as one of India’s first private companies authorized for space activities by IN-SPACe, the regulatory authority.
The Thybolt satellites featured a novel Store-and-Forward payload designed to receive and store messages from sensor nodes or remote ground stations. These messages were stored in on-board flash memory and transmitted down to network-connected ground stations.
Reflecting on the achievement, Sanjay Nekkanti, CEO of Dhruva Space, expressed his appreciation: “The success of the Thybolt Mission is a testament to the dedication and hard work of our entire team. It highlights the capabilities of our in-house developed P-DoT satellite platform, paving the way for advancements in research, constellation development, and versatile applications for our customers.”
Looking forward, Nekkanti added, “We are excited about our upcoming projects, including the establishment of our 280,000 sq-ft spacecraft manufacturing facility and the LEAP-1 mission. LEAP-1, scheduled to launch later this year with ISRO, will utilize our 30kg nanosatellite, marking another significant milestone for Dhruva Space.”
Expressing gratitude, Nekkanti acknowledged, “We extend our sincere thanks to ISRO, IN-SPACe, and NSIL for their steadfast support of new space ventures like Dhruva Space. Their encouragement continues to inspire us to push boundaries and pursue ambitious goals.”
Currently, Dhruva Space is focused on preparing for the LEAP-1 mission, leveraging the expertise and experience gained from previous successful missions, including the LEAP-TD mission conducted with ISRO’s PSLV C58 POEM-3 on January 1, 2024.
