Sona SPEED Motors Power NASA–ISRO NISAR Mission on GSLV-F16
Bengaluru, August 1, 2025: When GSLV-F16 lifted off from Satish Dhawan Space Centre on the evening of July 30, researchers at Sona SPEED in Salem and Bengaluru celebrated a key contribution: their Simplex Permanent Magnet Stepper Motors powered the first joint ISRO–NASA Earth observation mission, NISAR.
Developed in Salem and built at Sona SPEED's Bengaluru laboratory, the motors formed part of the NISAR mission rocket hardware. Their role was mission-critical, precisely controlling the fuel-mixture ratio in the actuator assembly that combines liquid hydrogen and oxygen to fire the cryogenic engine during the rocket's final stage. Accurate position control under launch stresses helped ensure stable combustion and trajectory fidelity for payload deployment.
NISAR marks a milestone for global climate and disaster monitoring with all-weather, day-night imaging capability. Sona SPEED notes its motors have supported earlier GSLV missions, including Chandrayaan-3, and the company's Bengaluru-area factory manufactures components for aerospace and outer-space applications.
The division has been a trusted ISRO technology partner for nearly two decades, delivering space-grade electrical machines, such as Permanent Magnet Stepper Motors, BLDC motors, and reaction wheels, for missions including Chandrayaan-2, Chandrayaan-3, and the RLV landing test. Its Simplex stepper motors also featured prominently in the LVM3 actuator assembly for Chandrayaan-3's historic south-pole lunar landing in August 2023.
Sona SPEED is one of 36 R&D centres at Sona College of Technology, an autonomous Anna University-affiliated institution accredited NAAC A++ with a CGPA of 3.65, an improvement over its previous evaluation, placing it among top-rated colleges.
