The chosen projects are designed to deliver transformative technologies that enhance India’s competitiveness in the global space economy.
The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN‑SPACe), the nodal agency supervising private participation in India’s spacetech sector, has selected three startups for funding under its Technology Adoption Fund (TAF) Scheme. Astrobase Space Technologies, SatSure Analytics India, and TM2SPACE Technologies have become the first non‑governmental entities (NGEs) to benefit from the initiative, marking a milestone in India’s drive to strengthen indigenous space capabilities.
The selection followed a rigorous multi‑stage evaluation process conducted by a committee comprising experts from ISRO, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), the Department of Science and Technology (DST), academia, industry, and IN‑SPACe itself. The chosen projects are designed to deliver transformative technologies that enhance India’s competitiveness in the global space economy.
Announcing the decision, Pawan Goenka, Chairman of IN‑SPACe, said, “With this fund, our vision is to bridge the critical gap between early‑stage development and commercial success. By offering financial support, we are empowering the private sector to work on cutting‑edge space technologies. These projects are not just innovative concepts; they are practical, market‑ready solutions that will increase our footprint in the global space economy.”
Rajeev Jyoti, Director of the Technical Directorate at IN‑SPACe, added, “Spanning a reusable high‑thrust rocket engine, a foundational EO‑AI (Earth Observation-Artificial Intelligence) platform, and indigenous high‑accuracy star trackers, these projects address critical technology gaps and have strong real‑world potential to enhance India’s space capabilities.”
The TAF scheme is designed to help Indian industry absorb, adapt, and commercialise advanced space technologies, bridging the gap between research and operational deployment.
Breakthrough Technologies
Bengaluru‑based Astrobase Space Technologies will develop a high‑thrust closed‑cycle liquid oxygen-liquefied natural gas (LOX‑LNG) rocket engine of 800 kN for medium‑to‑heavy lift launch vehicles. The reusable propulsion system, built with modular architecture, is intended to serve next‑generation launch systems and orbital stages.
SatSure Analytics India, also based in Bengaluru, will build Dhaarini, a large Earth Observation AI model trained on diverse satellite and aerial datasets. Designed as India’s foundational platform for remote sensing, it will generate actionable insights across agriculture, infrastructure, and disaster management, enabling data‑driven decision‑making at scale.
Hyderabad‑based TM2SPACE Technologies will create indigenous AI‑powered star trackers for satellites. Its StarSense Lite system will serve CubeSats, while StarSense Pro will support satellites above 50 kg, delivering high‑precision attitude determination through advanced optics, electronics, and onboard algorithms.
IN‑SPACe will provide continued technical guidance, monitoring, and milestone‑linked disbursement of funds to ensure successful implementation of the selected projects.