Indian Startups Test Orbital Technologies
Dhruva Space, SatLeo Labs and TakeMe2Space send satellite-hosting, thermal-imaging and AI-computing technologies into orbit aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9.
Three Indian space startups have sent technology demonstrations into orbit aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 as part of the Transporter-18 rideshare mission. The rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, carrying around 130 payloads, according to India Today.
Hyderabad-based Dhruva Space contributed its LEAP-2 satellite platform, designed to host technology experiments in orbit. One of its payloads is TAPAS-1, a thermal-imaging system developed by Ahmedabad-based SatLeo Labs to measure land-surface temperatures using long-wave infrared sensing.
SatLeo plans to use TAPAS-1 to demonstrate its thermal-sensing and data-processing capabilities. Such observations could help monitor urban heat, crop stress, industrial activity and environmental changes, although the system's performance and applications will need to be assessed using mission data.
TakeMe2Space, another Hyderabad-based startup, launched MOI-1A, an orbital computing satellite designed to process data in space using artificial intelligence. Rather than transmitting large volumes of raw Earth-observation imagery to the ground, the system aims to analyse data in orbit and send back relevant results.
The three missions represent different approaches to commercial space technology: hosting payloads, collecting thermal information about Earth and processing satellite data in orbit. Their demonstrations will help the companies assess the technologies as India's private space sector expands beyond conventional satellite manufacturing.