Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has supplied key hardware components for the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite, a collaborative Earth observation mission between the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The company’s Electronics Systems Division in Bengaluru manufactured three space-grade solar panels and a lithium-ion battery for the satellite.
Each panel measures about 4 square meters and delivers approximately 1,100 watts of power using multi-junction solar cells. The lithium-ion battery, with a capacity of around 11 kilowatt-hours, was assembled using cylindrical cells and tested in-house. Additionally, 112 lithium-ion cells produced by BHEL were integrated into the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV), which successfully placed the NISAR satellite into a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 747 kilometers.
Several Indian public and private sector companies contributed to the NISAR mission. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) supplied components for the launch vehicle platforms. Larsen & Toubro (L&T) provided hardware and sub-assemblies for launch vehicles and associated ground infrastructure. Godrej Aerospace contributed propulsion systems and engine parts used in the GSLV-F16 launch vehicle.
Alpha Design Technologies, which has previously worked on India’s navigation satellites, participated in integration and testing tasks for missions such as NISAR. NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL), ISRO’s commercial arm, coordinated with industry partners and facilitated commercial engagement in the mission.
India’s emerging private space sector—comprising startups such as Skyroot Aerospace, Agnikul Cosmos, and Pixxel—is also developing capabilities in satellite manufacturing, hardware development, and launch services. While these companies were not directly involved in the NISAR mission, they are part of a growing ecosystem supported through public-private partnerships enabled by the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Center (IN-SPACe).
BHEL is a central public sector enterprise under the Ministry of Heavy Industries. The company operates across multiple engineering and manufacturing segments and has previously supplied components for aerospace and defense applications, including contributions to ISRO missions.