Made-in-India chips power key space missions, says Ashwini Vaishnaw

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated that Made-in-India semiconductor chips are powering key Indian space missions. SCL Mohali manufactures these chips, which have been used in missions like Chandrayaan-3 and Aditya-L1, enhancing self-reliance.

Made-in-India semiconductor chips are powering key Indian space missions, supporting everything from lunar and solar exploration to satellites and launch vehicles, Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw said on National Space Day. "Made in India chips are powering Indian Space Missions," Vaishnaw said in a post on social media platform X.

According to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), domestically designed and manufactured semiconductor components are being used across India's growing space programme, strengthening the country's efforts towards technological self-reliance.

The Role of SCL Mohali

A key contributor to this capability is the Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL) in Mohali, which develops and manufactures flight-grade semiconductor components designed to withstand the extreme conditions encountered in space. SCL manufactures specialised components, including radiation-hardened chips, electro-optical CCD and CMOS imagers, Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), and sensors used to measure parameters such as pressure, acceleration, temperature and acoustics.

Indigenous Chips in Major Missions

These indigenous components have already been deployed in major Indian space missions. The Chandrayaan-3 lunar lander carried an Indian-made camera chip developed by SCL Mohali for its imaging systems during the mission to the lunar surface. Similarly, India's solar mission, Aditya-L1, uses radiation-hardened Analogue-to-Digital Converter (ADC) chips manufactured by SCL for its scientific observations of the Sun.

Indigenous semiconductor technology is also being used beyond scientific payloads. SCL's Vikram processor is deployed in satellite launch vehicles and rockets, providing onboard computing capabilities required during missions.

Strengthening India's Space Ecosystem

The Ministry added that the growing ability to design and manufacture critical space-grade semiconductor components domestically is strengthening technological independence across India's space ecosystem. As India plans further missions to explore space, locally manufactured chips are expected to play an expanded operational role in supporting the nation's scientific and launch infrastructure. (ANI)

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