ISRO Invites Indian Industry To Build First Bharatiya Antariksh Station Module, Targets 2028 Launch

Thiruvananthapuram, India : The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), through the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), has formally invited India’s aerospace manufacturing sector to build the structural hardware for the country’s first space-station module—an early, high-stakes industrial step in the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS) programme.

In an Expression of Interest (EoI) issued by VSSC, ISRO called for qualified Indian aerospace manufacturers to undertake the “development and realisation” of two sets of the BAS-01 structure, described as a 3.8-metre-diameter, 8-metre-tall cylindrical assembly that will form the base module of India’s planned modular space station. The EoI sets March 8, 2026 (4 pm) as the submission deadline, after which ISRO will carry out technical capability assessments and shortlist firms for the next stage of bidding.

What ISRO Is Asking Companies To Build

According to the EoI document, the contracted industry partner will be responsible for end-to-end realisation of the BAS-01 structural assembly using AA-2219 aluminium alloy, a material widely used in aerospace structures for its strength and weldability characteristics. ISRO will supply Gaganyaan-qualified raw materials, including AA-2219 (in specified tempers), AA2319 filler wire, and fasteners—along with test certificates to ensure traceability—while the selected company executes fabrication, welding, inspection, testing, and delivery.

The build is not a simple cylinder. VSSC’s scope describes a manufacturing flow that includes producing ring components and internal ortho-grid panels, developing plate-bending processes for cylindrical and conical panels, and establishing welding procedures for multiple joint types. The structure is expected to involve roughly 18 circumferential seam welds and 10 long-seam welds, with typical weld thicknesses ranging from 5 mm to 15 mm, requiring dedicated modular tooling and distortion control through the weld sequence.

Human-Rating Requirements Raise The Bar

VSSC’s tender makes clear that BAS-01 will be treated as human-rated hardware, aligning its quality regime with protocols used for India’s crewed spaceflight programme, Gaganyaan. That translates into additional in-process inspections, operator qualifications for workmanship-dependent processes, and strict verification of assembly-critical and function-critical dimensions.

The dimensional requirements laid out in the EoI are unusually tight for large hardware, calling for inspection of geometrical parameters up to 0.2 mm tolerance on diameter and 0.5 mm on height, supported by metrology infrastructure such as CMM and laser tracker capability.

Testing requirements include proof pressure testing of the complete assembly at 1.5 bar internal gauge pressure using nitrogen, followed by non-destructive testing (including UT and dye penetrant), along with helium leak-check capability.

Facilities Needed And What Cannot Be Outsourced

The EoI outlines a heavy industrial footprint, listing large-scale CNC turning and milling, multi-axis machining for complex parts, welding infrastructure (GTAW/FSW/EBW), forming and heat-treatment facilities, surface treatment qualification, and a controlled storage setup for department-supplied materials. It also states that no financial assistance will be provided by the Department for facility creation or augmentation, effectively limiting the field to firms (or consortia) able to invest upfront.

Critically, VSSC specifies that welding and final assembly—described as key to meeting functional and geometric specs—cannot be outsourced, even if other sub-tasks can be enabled through approved subcontracting routes.

Eligibility And “Make In India” Filters

VSSC’s criteria require bidders to demonstrate sustained aerospace manufacturing experience and financial capacity. Among the thresholds: the bidder (or lead consortium member) must have been operational for more than five years, with over five years’ experience in aerospace manufacturing, and must meet financial track-record conditions including a minimum average annual turnover of ₹50 crore over the relevant recent three-year period and positive net worth for at least two of those years.

The tender also applies domestic sourcing restrictions, including conditions that only Class I and Class II local suppliers are eligible and that foreign vendors are not permitted.

Timeline: From March 2026 Shortlisting To A 2028 Target Launch

The EoI describes a two-stage selection process: first, capability assessment and shortlisting through the EoI, and then a limited Request for Proposal (RFP) to technically qualified bidders, where the final selection will be made based on techno-commercial evaluation and competitive pricing.

On the execution side, VSSC indicates an aggressive industrial schedule for first hardware, targeting completion within roughly 11 months from the “last input” (including supply of major raw materials and approved drawings), with the second set of hardware to be assembled within six months of the first set’s completion.

The manufacturing push ties into India’s larger space-station roadmap. In a Parliament response published by the Press Information Bureau in December 2025, the Department of Space stated that BAS is planned as a five-module station expected to be fully operational by a 2035 timeframe, and that the Union Cabinet had approved development and launch of the first module (BAS-01) by 2028. The same response said BAS-related allocations were included in the expanded Gaganyaan programme scope, with additional funding taking the approved outlay to ₹20,193 crore.

Why This EoI Matters For India’s Space Industrial Base

Beyond the space-station milestone, the EoI signals how ISRO intends to scale domestic industry into “turnkey” aerospace manufacturing roles—particularly for large, human-rated welded structures that demand advanced toolings, metrology, qualification discipline, and repeatable production controls.

With the BAS-01 structural hardware now opened to competitive industrial development and a March 2026 submission deadline in place, the shortlisting round will be closely watched as an early indicator of which Indian manufacturers are positioned to become prime integrators for the hardware backbone of India’s first long-duration home in low Earth orbit.