TestCloud
Prep • Practice • Perform
Log In

Dhruva Space Collaborates with France’s Sodern ArianeGroup for HORUS Star Tracker Mission.

Science and Technology | Dated: 12 Jun 2025

In June 2025, Hyderabad (Telangana)-based Dhruva Space Private Limited announced a strategic collaboration with Limeil-Brévannes (France)-based Sodern, a subsidiary of ArianeGroup, to deploy Sodern’s high-accuracy HORUS star tracker onboard a Dhruva Space-hosted payload mission, scheduled for launch in 2026.

🎯 Key Highlights:

  • - The mission will be part of the 'Launching Expeditions for Aspiring Payloads' (LEAP) initiative.
  • - The partnership was officially revealed during the High-Level Committee for India Manufacturing (HCIM) Business Delegation to Europe, led by Union Minister Piyush Goyal, Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI).
  • - The HORUS star tracker will be integrated into Dhruva Space’s indigenously built P-30 nanosatellite platform. This platform, based on a modular architecture, was previously space-qualified during ISRO’s PSLV-C58 POEM-3 (PSLV Orbital Experimental Module -3) mission in January 2024, validating its capabilities for future satellite missions.

💡 Other Important Facts:

  • (i) Sodern’s HORUS payload features a cutting-edge Active Pixel Sensor (APS) space detector, designed for high-precision, autonomous attitude sensing in telecommunications platforms.
  • (ii) This technology enhances spacecraft orientation accuracy, contributing to improved mission performance in low-Earth orbit (LEO) operations.
  • (iii) Additionally, Sodern’s radiation-hardened Auriga star tracker—developed in California (USA)—has been selected by Dhruva Space as the preferred Attitude Determination and Control System (ADCS) for a series of its forthcoming satellite missions, strengthening the Indo-French aerospace cooperation.

📚 Test Your Knowledge:

Recently, which Indian space-tech company partnered with France’s Sodern (a subsidiary of ArianeGroup) for the HORUS Star Tracker mission?

Correct Answer: Dhruva Space

🚀 Quick Recap:

About Dhruva Space

  • Founded: 2012
  • Headquarters: Hyderabad