Pariksha SaathiTechnology Development Board signs ₹116 crore RDI Fund support agreement with Manastu Space for green propulsion
The Technology Development Board (TDB) of the Department of Science and Technology has signed an agreement with Manastu Space Technologies, Navi Mumbai, for financial support of ₹116 crore under the Research Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund, to be provided as optionally convertible debt, the Ministry of Science and Technology announced on 26 October 2026. The project, with a total cost of ₹277.63 crore, will develop a scalable, integrated green propulsion system for satellites and launch vehicles in the 5 mN to 300 N thrust class and aims to advance it from Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6 to TRL 9. The technology uses a hydrogen peroxide-based green propellant with additives and has already been demonstrated in space.
Drafted with AI assistance from the official PIB release linked above and checked against it by a second AI pass. Not line-edited by a human.
Learning context
The Union Cabinet approved the Research Development and Innovation (RDI) Scheme on 1 July 2025 with a corpus of Rs one lakh crore, to give the private sector long-term financing at low or nil interest rates for research, development and innovation. It works in two tiers: a Special Purpose Fund within the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) passes funds to second-level fund managers. The Department of Science and Technology is the nodal department.
Check yourself: what is the corpus of the RDI Scheme, and which department is its nodal department?
Rs one lakh crore; the Department of Science and Technology.
Revision task: from this release, note the support amount, the project cost, the thrust range, the TRL levels and the propellant; from the note, when the RDI Scheme was approved, its corpus, its two tiers and its nodal department.
Test yourself
Manastu Space, with which the Technology Development Board has signed an agreement for ₹116 crore of support under the RDI Fund (announced on 26 October 2026), is developing which technology?
Show the answer
Answer: Green propulsion systems for satellites and launch vehicles
The project develops a hydrogen peroxide-based green propulsion system for satellites and launch vehicles in the 5 mN to 300 N thrust class, and aims to take it from TRL 6 to TRL 9.
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