SAMEER and ISRO’s ISTRAC Join Hands to Build Indigenous Deep-Space Communication Technologies

India’s deep-space technology programme has received a strategic boost with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Society for Applied Microwave Electronics Engineering and Research and ISRO’s Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network. The collaboration is aimed at developing indigenous high-power systems and Gallium Nitride-based technologies for future deep-space exploratory observations.

The agreement was signed at SAMEER headquarters on the IIT Bombay campus in Mumbai by Dr. A. K. Anil Kumar, Director of ISTRAC/ISRO, and Dr. P. Hanumantha Rao, Director General of SAMEER. SAMEER is an autonomous research and development laboratory under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, while ISTRAC is the ISRO centre responsible for telemetry reception, tracking and commanding for satellite, launch vehicle and deep-space missions.

The core purpose of the partnership is to design and develop state-of-the-art high-power systems using homegrown semiconductor technologies. These systems are important because every deep-space ground station needs high-power amplification to strengthen tele-command signals before they are transmitted to spacecraft operating far from Earth. In other words, when India sends spacecraft to the Moon, Mars, Venus or deeper interplanetary targets, reliable command uplink systems become as critical as the spacecraft itself.

A major focus of the collaboration will be the development of High-Power Amplifier solutions for telecommand operations at the Indian Deep Space Network station. According to the official release, these systems will support ISRO missions operating in the X-band frequency range. This makes the MoU more than a laboratory partnership; it is a technology-building effort linked directly to India’s future planetary and deep-space mission architecture.

The project is also important from an Atmanirbhar Bharat perspective. The proposed SAMEER–ISTRAC collaboration will use indigenously built Gallium Nitride semiconductor modules, including compact GaN chip technologies from GAETEC/DRDO. Gallium Nitride is valued in high-power radio-frequency and microwave applications because it can support efficient, compact and high-output systems. For deep-space communication, such technologies can help India reduce dependence on foreign original equipment manufacturers and strengthen domestic capability in mission-critical ground infrastructure.

SAMEER brings specialised expertise in radio frequency, microwave and millimetre-wave technologies for both strategic and civilian applications. The organisation has experience in building end-to-end RF and microwave solutions, including onboard and ground-based systems for multiple missions. ISTRAC, meanwhile, provides tracking support for ISRO’s satellite and launch vehicle missions and operates ground-segment infrastructure including Deep Space Network stations.

The partnership is expected to encourage joint research and development projects that move beyond concept papers into deployable systems. The official statement says the collaboration will also support India’s wider industry ecosystem by involving MSMEs and Indian industries in the journey from concept development to large-scale production. This is crucial because deep-space missions require a strong chain of specialised suppliers, precision electronics manufacturers, semiconductor developers and systems integrators.

For India’s space programme, the timing is significant. ISRO’s ambitions are moving steadily beyond Earth orbit, with missions linked to lunar exploration, solar observation, planetary science and future interplanetary operations. As spacecraft travel farther, India will need stronger ground stations, more reliable command links, improved RF systems and advanced antenna infrastructure. ISRO’s own mission-support framework includes deep-space antenna terminals in the 18-metre to 32-metre class and multi-band S/X-band compatible systems, showing how central deep-space communication has become to the country’s space roadmap.

The SAMEER–ISTRAC MoU therefore represents a quiet but important building block in India’s next space phase. Satellites and launch vehicles often get the public attention, but deep-space success also depends on the invisible backbone of ground control, telecommand, signal amplification and tracking. By developing these technologies within India, the partnership strengthens the country’s ability to conduct future deep-space missions with greater technological confidence, lower import dependence and a more mature domestic space electronics ecosystem.