Key Details
The agreement supports]
the next stage of development, not the launch of a new propulsion concept or the completion of a commercially ready product.
Financing: TDB has signed an agreement to provide ₹116 crore to Navi Mumbai-based Manastu Space under the Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund. The total project cost is ₹277.63 crore; the release does not specify how the balance will be financed.
Financing form: The support will be provided as optionally convertible debt, rather than described as a grant.
Technology: Manastu is developing an integrated propulsion system using a hydrogen peroxide-based propellant with additives, alongside engines, feed systems and a high-temperature ceramic catalyst.
Range of applications: The planned system spans 5 millinewtons to 300 newtons of thrust, covering different propulsion needs for satellites and launch vehicles.
Development goal: The project aims to move from Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6 to TRL 9 through further engineering, integration, testing and validation. The technology has already been demonstrated in space.
Financing Targets the Gap Between Demonstration and Wider Use
A propulsion system can work in a demonstration without yet being ready for repeated use across different missions. Manastu’s project will focus on performance, reliability and system integration as it develops a scalable range of engines and supporting components. The stated TRL 6-to-9 progression describes the project’s goal, not a readiness level it has already reached.
The breadth of the proposed thrust range is central to the project: it seeks a propulsion platform adaptable to small satellite applications and higher-thrust requirements, rather than a single engine for one use.
Domestic Propulsion Is the Industrial Objective
Propulsion enables spacecraft to manoeuvre and perform mission operations. TDB’s support places this component within the RDI Fund’s effort to finance Indian deep-technology development beyond early research. If validation and deployment succeed, the system could strengthen domestic capability in a critical part of the space supply chain.
“Green” in the announcement refers to Manastu’s hydrogen peroxide-based alternative to conventional propellants and its intended safety and operational advantages. The release does not provide comparative emissions or lifecycle data, so those environmental benefits should not be treated as measured outcomes.
What Is a Technology Readiness Level (TRL)?
TRL is a scale used to describe how far a technology has progressed from an initial concept towards proven use. The project’s proposed move from TRL 6 to TRL 9 means advancing a demonstrated system through further testing and validation to readiness for operational deployment.
Policy Relevance
This agreement illustrates why financing late-stage testing and validation matters for Indian space technology: a successful demonstration is not the same as a system that customers can rely on across missions. Progress can be judged through validated performance, reliability and actual adoption — not the financing agreement alone.
The use of optionally convertible debt also makes the form of public support relevant to assessing the RDI Fund. The project will test whether such financing can help a domestic firm bridge the costly step from advanced development to a deployable product.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: What testing and mission-use evidence will establish that Manastu’s propulsion system is reliable across its intended range of satellite and launch-vehicle applications?
Follow the Full Press Release Here: TDB-DST Agreement With Manastu Space for Green Propulsion Technology