Innovations for Defence Excellence

• 16 May 2023

On May 15, 2023, Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX), the Ministry of Defence's (MoD) flagship initiative, achieved remarkable milestones in the realm of defence innovation.

• These milestones signify the substantial progress and success of iDEX in fostering innovation and collaboration in the defence sector.

Key Points

• Objective of the SPRINT Initiative: The SPRINT initiative unveiled 75 challenge statements for the Indian industry in July 2022.
• Its objective is to introduce at least 75 technologies and products into the Navy by August 2023.
• Development of Gas-Based Compact Micropropulsion System: InspeCity is developing a gas-based compact micropropulsion system. The system can be integrated with other satellites, including the cubesat swarm under Mission DefSpace.
• Role and Importance of Cubesats: Cubesats are modular, low-cost, and easy-to-manufacture small satellites. They are crucial for launch-on-demand capabilities and serve purposes such as imagery, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and communication.
• Compact Micropropulsion System for Cubesat Maneuvering: Precise alignment and maneuvering of cubesats require a compact micropropulsion system for orbit correction.
• SPRINT (Navy) Contract with Siliconia Technologies: The 100th SPRINT (Navy) contract was exchanged with Siliconia Technologies Private Limited. Siliconia Technologies won the challenge to develop a lightweight ASIC-based communication system using software-defined antenna for satellite communication in various orbits.
• Multiple Independent Receiver and Transmitter Sources: Siliconia's solution provides multiple independent receiver and transmitter sources. These sources are crucial for phased-array radars used in satellite tracking.