Space startups in India
The directory tracks 13 space companies in India. They work on Earth observation, launch, debris removal & servicing, propulsion and more.
Updated 1 October 2026 · 8 milestones in the last 90 days · Follow by RSS
Where things stand
As of 27 September 2026
Skyroot Aerospace reached orbit with Vikram-1 on its first flight in July 2026. It was the first orbital launch by a private Indian company. Agnikul Cosmos flew a suborbital test from its own pad at Sriharikota in 2024. In May 2026 it fired four of its 3D-printed Agnilet engines together, a step toward its orbital rocket, Agnibaan.
Earth observation is the biggest group. In January 2026 Pixxel, Dhruva Space, PierSight and SatSure signed an agreement with IN-SPACe, the government body that authorises private space activity in India, to build and operate a national constellation of 12 Earth observation satellites. Pixxel has launched six of its Firefly hyperspectral satellites. GalaxEye launched Drishti in May 2026, the largest Earth observation satellite yet built by a private Indian company.
Two companies are building spacecraft to service satellites in orbit. OrbitAID plans a mission in early 2027 to dock with a satellite, refuel it and raise its orbit, and InspeCity raised money in August 2026 to fly four servicing missions in 18 months. Digantara tracks satellites and debris with its own satellite, SCOT, which returned its first image in March 2025. ISRO's POEM-4 platform, in orbit from December 2024, carried test hardware for GalaxEye, PierSight, Manastu Space and Bellatrix Aerospace.
Latest milestones
Every dated event from the companies below, newest first, each with its source.
Dhruva Space: LEAP-2, its second commercial mission, launches on SpaceX's Transporter-18 carrying in-orbit demonstrations for Sodern and Satleo Labs
Pixxel: Raises a $100M Series C led by Temasek and Seraphim to fund the Honeybee constellation and satellite production in India and the US
Agnikul Cosmos: India's Technology Development Board agrees to provide ₹200 crore, in convertible debentures, toward a reusable Agnibaan
InspeCity: Raises a ₹100 crore (about $10.5M) pre-Series A led by Speciale Invest and Ashish Kacholia to fly four servicing missions in 18 months
OrbitAID: Plans a two-satellite mission for early 2027 to inspect, dock, refuel and raise orbit in one flight
Digantara: Unveils MOSAIC, a network of ground-based optical sensors for tracking objects in orbit
GalaxEye: Acquires StarOps, a Bengaluru maker of satellite buses
Skyroot Aerospace: Vikram-1 reaches orbit on its first flight, the first orbital launch by a private Indian companyDhruva Space: The Antariksh Venture Capital Fund, anchored by IN-SPACe, makes its first investment: ₹60 crore in Dhruva
SatSure: Wins a ₹24.6 crore grant from IN-SPACe's Technology Adoption Fund to build Dhaarini, AI models for Indian Earth observation dataShow 40 earlier milestones
PierSight: Launches Vidura, a drone-mounted radar that sees through foliage, for ground defence operationsDhruva Space: Receives a ₹105 crore grant from India's RDI fund to develop Project Garud, a 500 kg satellite platformSkyroot Aerospace: Raises $60M at a $1.1B valuation, becoming India's first space tech unicornPixxel: Wins a National Reconnaissance Office contract to show what commercial hyperspectral imagery can do for US analystsGalaxEye: Drishti, its first satellite and the largest Earth observation satellite built by a private Indian company, launches on a SpaceX Falcon 9Agnikul Cosmos: Test-fires four Agnilet engines together as a cluster, a step toward the orbital Agnibaan
Bellatrix Aerospace: Raises a $20M pre-Series B led by Cactus Partners to expand production
Manastu Space: Will supply the propulsion system for GATISat, a 150 kg satellite bus developed with Astrome and TakeMe2SpaceBellatrix Aerospace: Harbinger, its first complete satellite, launches on SpaceX's Transporter-16 and tests Bellatrix's own attitude control system in orbitDhruva Space: Signs the national Earth observation constellation agreement with IN-SPACe as one of four consortium members, led by PixxelPierSight: Signs, as part of the Pixxel-led consortium, IN-SPACe's agreement for a national constellation of 12 Earth observation satellitesPixxel: Signs the agreement with IN-SPACe to build, own and operate India's national Earth observation constellation of 12 satellites, leading a consortium with Dhruva Space, PierSight and SatSureSatSure: Signs the IN-SPACe agreement to build and operate a 12-satellite national Earth observation system, alongside Pixxel, Dhruva Space and PierSightDhruva Space: Loses five deployers and the satellites inside them, including its own Thybolt-3, when PSLV-C62 fails in flightDigantara: Raises a $50M Series B to extend its sensors to missile detection and trackingAgnikul Cosmos: Raises ₹150 crore (about $17M) at a $500M valuationSkyroot Aerospace: Prime Minister Modi opens its Infinity Campus in Hyderabad and unveils Vikram-1OrbitAID: Wins an Indo-Australian MAITRI grant to fly India's first in-orbit refuelling interfaceDhruva Space: LEAP-1, its first commercial mission, launches on a SpaceX Falcon 9 with payloads for Australia's Akula TechPixxel: Three more Fireflies launch on SpaceX's NAOS mission, bringing the constellation to sixManastu Space: Raises $3M in a round led by Capital-A, its first space investmentSkyroot Aerospace: Test-fires Kalam-1200, the solid motor for Vikram-1's first stage, for about 110 seconds at SriharikotaInspeCity: Raises a $5.6M seed led by Ashish Kacholia to space-qualify its servicing hardware within a yearOrbitAID: Zero-G2 repeats the docking test with autonomous mechanisms and camera-based pose estimationBellatrix Aerospace: Opens a US subsidiaryPixxel: Fireflies return first light, the sharpest commercial hyperspectral imagery yetDigantara: SCOT is commissioned and returns its first image, of the Earth's edge over Buenos AiresManastu Space: Vyom-2U completes its in-orbit campaign with 700 seconds of total firing, including a 360-second burn and more than 20 restartsDigantara: Opens an office in Colorado Springs to sell to the US defence marketOrbitAID: Raises a $1.5M pre-seed led by Unicorn India Ventures for an in-space docking and refuelling demonstrationDigantara: SCOT, its first space surveillance satellite, launches on SpaceX's Transporter-12Pixxel: First three Firefly satellites launch on Transporter-12, the highest-resolution commercial hyperspectral constellationBellatrix Aerospace: Rudra, its green thruster, fires in orbit for a second time on ISRO's POEM-4 platformManastu Space: Vyom-2U fires in orbit for the first time on ISRO's POEM-4 platform, tilting it by 24 degreesPierSight: Varuna, a radar demonstrator in CubeSat form, flies on ISRO's POEM-4 platform and completes its testsManastu Space: Delivers its I-Booster green propulsion system to DRDO after four years of development backed by DRDO's Technology Development FundGalaxEye: GLX-SQ, a test payload on ISRO's POEM-4 platform, tests its combined radar and optical imaging system in orbitGalaxEye: Completes a $10M Series A as MountTech Growth Fund (Kavachh) and Infosys join for the final partOrbitAID: Zero-G1, a parabolic flight in Florida, tests SIDRP docking and propellant transfer in weightlessnessBellatrix Aerospace: Unveils Project 200, a satellite designed to fly in ultra-low orbit at 180 to 250 kmAll 13 companies
Companies still operating first, then by latest news.
Dhruva Space Satellite buses, deployers and ground stations
Pixxel Hyperspectral imaging satellites
Agnikul Cosmos Rockets on single-piece 3D-printed engines
InspeCity In-orbit servicing from Thane, India
OrbitAID Refuelling satellites in orbit, from Chennai
Digantara Tracking satellites and debris from orbit
GalaxEye Radar and optical imaging on one satellite
Skyroot Aerospace India's first private rocket to orbit
SatSure Satellite data analytics for banks and farms
PierSight Radar satellites for tracking ships
Bellatrix Aerospace Electric and green thrusters for satellites
Manastu Space Green-propellant thrusters for satellites
STAR Smallsat launch services
How many space startups are there in India?
Space Bandits tracks 13 space companies in India. All of them are active startups.
What do space startups in India work on?
The biggest groups are Earth observation (4), launch (3) and debris removal & servicing (2), out of 6 sectors in all.
What is the latest news from space startups in India?
The most recent milestone on record is from Dhruva Space, dated 1 October 2026: "LEAP-2, its second commercial mission, launches on SpaceX's Transporter-18 carrying in-orbit demonstrations for Sodern and Satleo Labs."
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