Space Startup

Bengaluru-based Space start-up Galaxeye has lost contact with its satellite Mission Drishti, the world's first OptoSAR satellite, which was launched in May, and the likelihood of recovery currently appears low. According to the company, the connection was lost after the satellite encountered an anomaly following a geomagnetic solar storm. "Initial root cause analysis indicates that radiation effects associated with the event likely impacted a critical onboard system. Communication with the spacecraft subsequently became intermittent and was eventually lost," said Galaxeye. The satellite integrated electro-optical (EO) and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensors into a single operational platform. While EO sensors capture high-resolution images during sunlight and clear skies, SAR sensors provide all-weather and all-time images, using radar pulses. Mission Drishti successfully established communication and completed a major portion of its planned Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP).

Cosmoserve Space's Mission Embrace will fly aboard Skyroot's maiden orbital launch to demonstrate soft robotic satellite capture technology for future active space debris removal missions

Three years after opening the space sector to private players, India is seeing startups scale up satellite, launch vehicle and space technology capabilities

Satellite manufacturing and launch alliance aims to build sovereign space ecosystem

With restrictions in parts of Asia on how retail investors may access the IPO, traders are scoping out regional suppliers to ride the SpaceX-driven rally

India's private space sector is witnessing a funding boom, with investments surging after policy reforms opened the industry to private players

GalaxEye claims it has signed distribution partnerships across over 20 countries, even before full commissioning

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Skyroot's Infinity Campus and unveiled the Vikram-I rocket, which can launch satellites; the campus will design, test and build rockets monthly

Isro chairman V Narayanan credits IN-SPACe for integrating startups into India's space ecosystem; says human lunar mission target set for 2040

Agnikul's in-house development facilities are one of the main driving forces of this new attempt, with every patent and system designed to support more affordable, customisable launch services

Eight more startups, including Fractal Analytics and BharatGen, will build LLMs and SLMs under the IndiaAI Mission as the govt also plans 500 AI data labs and an AI governance framework

Part-I explores why deeptech lagged in India, what's finally changing, and the hurdles ahead. Part-II profiles the builders - their ideas, technologies, and ambitions

Isro targets 52 new satellites and 12 launches in 2025, with space station module set for 2028; India's space economy poised to hit $44 bn by 2033

Isro's tech expertise has found wider uses. Now, IN-SPACe is driving deeper tech transfers to power the private sector's orbital lift-off

Suhora Technologies has teamed up with Orbital Sidekick to introduce high-resolution hyperspectral satellite services in India, enabling the identification of rare earth minerals, methane leaks, etc

The mission was initially set for 29 May, then 8 June, and has now been rescheduled to 10 June due to operational adjustments and quarantine protocols

Trump's trade war has created the biggest uncertainty for the aerospace industry since the COVID pandemic. It has also led to a breakdown in the industry's decades-old duty-free status

Space startups which garnered $2.1 billion in investments in the first quarter have largely relied on government contracts over the past few years

Despite the promise of wide coverage, there is the issue of pricing. Airtel and Jio could help there

The tie-ups will "hopefully" result in an orbital services bid for Indian clients "in one to two years", which would mark Astroscale's first operations in Asia-Pacific outside its home