space sector

The Covid-19 pandemic disrupted everything and our lives were on an uncertain halt. Many industries faced backlashes but were also positively impacted by the digital transformation accelerated by the pandemic. India’s space sector was impacted by the unsettling scenario and since the sector was already lagging behind the national giants like China the Covid situation hit hard. However, India decided to fight this fallback by opening up the space sector to spacetech startups and inviting a public-private collaboration. As part of this initiative, the Indian Government formed the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre, known as IN-SPACe. According to the Economic Times report, the space sector was opened in June last year and the government created IN-SPACe that works as a link between the ISRO and private companies who want to participate in space-related activities or use India's space resources. The private investments in India’s space sector are believed to boost technological innovations and fuel the sector. 

Once this government decision was made public, many indigenous startups actively raised funds to utilize the opportunity and enhance the possibilities of the industry. Reports state that startups including Pixxel, Agnikul Cosmos, Vesta Space, Bellatrix Aerospace, and Skyroot Aerospace are among the investors. A report in Economic Times revealed that Pixxel closed USD 7.3 million seed round and is working on two satellites to send this year. ISRO has also opened its arms to welcome startups through Space Entrepreneurship & Enterprise Development (SEED) to encourage startups and MSMEs to utilize ISRO resources and facilities to contribute towards the development of the space sector. 

The nascent initiative by the Indian government to embrace private startups can be considered a big leap towards achieving new heights in the global space market. 

Let us understand the two major startups among the investors and find out what is unique about them.

  • Pixxel

A space data company based out of Bengaluru is just two-year-old and is led by Awais Ahmed and Khitij Khandelwal. The startup is building a constellation of earth imaging satellites to detect and monitor global phenomena. Pixxel signed an agreement with NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL), a public sector enterprise of GoI and a commercial arm of the ISRO. The agreement was to launch Pixxel’s first remote sensing satellite on an ISRO PSLV rocket. This collaboration followed the government’s announcement to open the space sector. The startup recently announced its new product focus that they are planning to deploy, hyperspectral imaging. 

  • Agnikul Cosmos

Incepted in 2016, this Chennai-based spacetech startup entered into a Non-Disclosure Agreement with the ISRO after the launch of IN-SPACe. The agreement will enable Agnikul to access the technical resources and facilities available in ISRO centers. The agreement will ensure the support from ISRO to build and launch Agnikul’s rocket with small satellites. Agnikul aims and expects to launch Agnibaan, its small-lift rocket capable of placing 100kg payload in a 700km orbit in the coming year. Co-founded by Srinath Ravichandran and Moin SPM and works out of the National Center for Combustion R&D at IIT-Madras. Agnikul was in news recently for building a 3D printed semi-cryogenic rocket engine called Agnilet.