NEW DELHI: The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has secured a landmark contract to develop India's Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV), following a two-stage techno-commercial bidding process, officials from the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced on Friday. As part of the agreement, ISRO will transfer SSLV technology to HAL over a two-year period, during which HAL will manufacture two prototype rockets. Post this phase, the aerospace major is expected to produce between six to twelve SSLVs annually, depending on commercial demand. "With this milestone, HAL will become India's third rocket manufacturer after private space startups Skyroot Aerospace and Agnikul Cosmos," said IN-SPACe Chairman Pawan Kumar Goenka during a media briefing.