Space startup rolls out 'Astra'


Space startup rolls out 'Astra'
Spacelabs, the first aerospace startup firm in the city, has developed its first software titled ‘Astra’. The software can be utilized to optimize configuration of space vehicles, find out the payload and find the trajectory which the vehicle has to follow.
The company, which started working from April 2021, waited more than a year to mark their first milestone.
ISRO chairman S Somanath inaugurated the new office of the institution at Thamburan Mukku in Karimanal on Thursday.
Speaking at the inaugural address, Somanath said that the country is paying more attention to aerospace research other than concentrating on the business scopes of the sector.
“India is contributing less to the sector and more startups can bring the nation forward,” he said.
He added that the software developed should be user-friendly in such a way that the user should be able to perform the functions at a glance.
CEO of Spacelabs and retired ISRO scientist Sheela D S guided the rocket technology area for the development of software. An expert from the IT sector Rajkumar T R led the computer science with the assistance of three freshers. Astra helps to find the functions and constraints of a vehicle from the beginning stage.