Aerospace Manufacturing, the New Interest of Indian Start-Ups

Anju Nambiar — Thu, 27 May 2021 07:35:07 +0000

Although Aerospace start-ups started small in India, they are catching on with other industries rapidly and now seem to be skyrocketing. New start-ups are quickly making their entry and are even managing to raise funds and design rockets.

Noteworthy start-ups in Aerospace manufacturing

Agnikul Cosmos

Agnikul Cosmos is the talk of the town because the start-up recently raised INR 23.4 crores in a Pre-Series A funding round. A Chennai-based aerospace manufacturing start-up, Agnikul’s mission is to make rocket launches and space missions affordable in India. Agnikul is an IIT Madras incubated start-up which is currently working on a project to develop a satellite launch vehicle called ‘Agnibaan’ with payload capacity of 100 kilograms, powered by a semi cryogenic engine.

Skyroot Aerospace

Skyroot Aerospace is also getting the limelight for raising $11 M in a Series A funding round. A Hyderabad based start-up, Skyroot is working in tandem with Agnikul Cosmos to be the pioneering private space tech firm to build a commercial rocket that will launch satellites.

Pixxel

Another interesting space technology start-up, Pixxel is a Bengaluru based hyperspectral imaging firm founded in 2019. Pixxel aims to build a health monitor for Planet Earth by putting up a constellation of 30 cutting-edge, hyper spectral observation micro satellites into a sun-synchronous orbit. Pixxel has recently raised $7.3 M in funding.

Astrogate Labs Private Limited

An Aerospace and space technology start-up from Bengaluru, Astrogate Labs makes space infrastructure. They are working towards enabling high speed communications for small satellites through their laser communication solutions which are built to withstand the harsh conditions typically required of space applications.

Vestaspace Tech

Vestaspace Tech deserves a mention among leading space-tech start-ups in India. Headquartered in Pune, Vestaspace Tech bagged $10 M in funding recently. Vestaspace specializes in ‘small satellite platform’ building dedicated for commercial scientific applications.

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Why are start-ups venturing into the Aerospace sector? 5 noteworthy Indian start-ups that are innovating in space tech and raising funds.

Why are start-ups looking at Aerospace as a business?

There are several governmental support initiatives that have piqued the interest of start-ups towards the Aerospace business. They are all aimed at making it profitable to enter the space domain. Last year, the Union Cabinet approved the formation of ISRO’s new arm called New Space India Limited (NSIL) to harbor companies undertaking space activities. Private players can now access ISRO’s infrastructure, technical resources, and data.

ISRO has also launched an exclusive space start-up program called SEED (Space Entrepreneurship & Enterprise Development) for MSME’s venturing into aerospace. Several other moves like the setup of 3 incubation centers by the Department of Space (DoS) at the National Institute of Technology (NIT), the ARISE program by DoS for supporting applied research and innovation for MSMEs are open invitations for start-ups looking at Aerospace as a business.

Start-ups planning to enter the Aerospace sector will benefit from these initiatives through access to ISRO’s valuable resources. You will also be able to tap into the true business potential of developing space products and services. It’s also an opportunity to step into the industry as a partner to ISRO.

F.A.Q.

what is aerospace?

Aerospace is a term used to collectively refer to the atmosphere and outer space. Aerospace activity is very diverse, with a multitude of commercial, industrial and military applications. Aerospace engineering consists of aeronautics and astronautics.

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Space Start-Ups in India And What Are They Building

Aakash Sharma — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 00:35:03 +0000

With a positive outlook and a commercial manoeuvre, it looks like the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is becoming a facilitator. The space agency is looking towards the private sector to play a more prominent role in space technology. Despite the economic gut punch thrown by the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021-22 budget did not slash the space sector’s funding; instead it gave the sector a 3.48% increase.

The funds of New Space India Limited, the ISRO’s commercial arm, have increased by 138 times. The government aims to generate revenue from the intellectual property of ISRO and add it as a crucial sector of the Indian economy.

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The global space economy is set at $360 billion, of which India's space industry currently accounts for about 2% at $7 billion.

ISRO Working Closely with Space Start-ups

To consolidate India’s potential in the aerospace industry, the government is now turning to start-ups. As ISRO is indulging with several start-ups, agencies within the Ministry of Science and Technology, namely the National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Aerospace Laboratories (CSIR-NAL), are also working towards the same goal of promoting start-ups. The two agencies are setting up an innovation incubator with external private funding to help develop new aerospace businesses.

The government will control, incubate and help guide start-ups develop their products and services about space tech. And the collaboration further will help create employment opportunities for young people. This move will undoubtedly strengthen the Aatmanirbhar Bharat programme which is the government’s flagship growth model for this decade.

Who Are the Space Players in India?

Indian start-up Agnikul Cosmos is the world’s first company to test a fully 3D printed rocket motor. Agnikul was the first Indian start-up to enter into a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) with the Department of Space (DOS) and the recently established Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) to conduct joint space research and programmes.

The Hyderabad-based space start-up Skyroot Aerospace was founded in 2018 by former ISRO scientists to build space launch vehicles. Skyroot and ISRO are working together to develop a fixed-launch rocket that can be used to launch satellites into a lower orbit and create a private space ecosystem. Skyroot has signed a non-disclosure agreement with the Space Ministry to access ISRO facilities and technical expertise to build the rocket.

Bellatrix Aerospace is a private space company in India and was launched in 2015. The company plans to launch rockets and satellites for domestic and global markets. It has signed a memorandum of understanding with ISRO to promote India’s space engineering efforts. According to the contract, the Orbital Transfer Vehicle (OTV) developed by Bellatrix will be used on the Vikram launcher’s upper tiers developed by Skyroot. An OTV is a spacecraft that can carry loads in a specific orbit so that the launcher can transmit satellites into orbit.

Pixxel is another space technology start-up that aims to place 30 Earth observation microsatellite constellations in the solar synchronous orbit. ISRO plans to launch the first Brazilian satellite, Amazonia-1, and three Indian payloads, including Pixxel’s first satellite- Anand, on February 28, 2021.

Utilising Potential

To increase the country’s space sector potential, the government’s landmark decision to allow the private sector to use ISRO facilities and other related assets for enhancing their capabilities is undoubtedly going to pay manifold in future. In setting up the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe), the government is setting a level playing field for private companies using India’s space infrastructure. This will strengthen ISRO’s commitment to start-ups and grow the space and technology industry as a critical economic domain.

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