3-day Bengaluru Space Expo 2018 to begin on September 6

Over 100 exhibitors, 56 speakers, 600 delegates and participants from frontline global space agencies will converge for the sixth edition of the biennial “Bengaluru Space Expo,” ready for take-off here on September 6.

Organised jointly by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Anrix Corporation Limited (ANTRIX), the event, BSX-2018 will come alive at the Bengaluru International Exhibition Centre (BIEC).

The three-day event will feature an exhibition and an international conference on “World Space-Biz.” Lined up for the conference are three special sessions and five technical sessions on Launch Vehicles, Satellite Communication, Navigation, Earth Observation and Emerging Technologies. Also on the agenda is an exclusive session for students.

BSX-2018 has been designed to boost ISRO’s partnership with the industry. ISRO and its commercial arm, ANTRIX is currently strategising a model that will involve the industry right from the preparatory stage of a project. The proposed Small Satellite Launch Vehicles (SSLV) will be built by the industry following this model, said ISRO chairman Sivan K.

CII Vice-President, Vikram Kirloskar said the private industry has not got into the space sector in a big way. “There is a lot of scope for joint manufacturing for space exploration,” he said.

ANTRIX chairman Rakesh S said through private industry partnership, 50 to 60 SSLVs could be produced in a year. This will help India get a big share of the global space market, estimated to be $18 billion space market over the next 10 years.