Indian space: Private players fuel satellite refueling & earth observation boom

India’s space sector is stepping boldly into a new era, with private players taking center stage. Two recent developments has the ecosystem is buzzing. Backed by ISRO and IN-SPACe, these milestones signal a powerful shift toward innovation, sustainability, and self-reliance in the global space economy.

ISRO Chairman Dr. V. Narayanan inaugurated space tech startup OrbitAID’s new 6,500 sq ft R&D facility in Bengaluru with an investment of over US$ 2 M. Through this facility, OrbitAID will extend lifetime refueling services for current and upcoming satellites. This would be India’s largest and one of the world’s biggest for Rendezvous Proximity Operations & Docking (RPOD) infrastructure. The facility would consist of a high end control room for operating the RPOD facility, class 10000 cleanroom, and fuel transfer facilities for assembling and integrating its satellites.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. V. Narayanan, Chairman, ISRO congratulated the OrbitAID team on their achievement and emphasized the importance of developing technologies such as docking and refueling interfaces and the significance of providing services such as life extension for satellites in shaping the future of India’s space ecosystem. He also spoke about how ISRO has recently opened up to private players in the space ecosystem & in the upcoming missions, ISRO will also invite companies specialising in On-Orbit Servicing and Refueling (OOSR) technologies to work with the organisation.

“With this new development and our TRL 7 docking and refueling interface SIDRP, we are positioned to provide life extension services for the current and upcoming satellites in both Indian and global markets.” –Sakthikumar Ramachandran, Founder & CEO, OrbitAID

Sakthikumar Ramachandran, Founder & CEO, OrbitAID, said, “With this new development and our TRL 7 docking and refueling interface SIDRP, we are positioned to provide life extension services for the current and upcoming satellites in both Indian and global markets.”

Encouraged by the success of ISRO’s SPADeX mission, OrbitAID’s new R&D center represents a significant step in India’s journey toward space sustainability at a global stage. The Company has also announced its plans to expand in Tamil Nadu, where a manufacturing facility will be established and ecosystem partnership will also a part of this expansion plan. The company will strengthen collaborations with local universities, startups, and global partners in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

In August, the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), under the Department of Space, Government of India, selected a PixxelSpace India-led consortium, comprising of Piersight Space, Satsure Analytics India, and Dhruva Space, to design, build, and operate India’s first fully indigenous commercial Earth Observation (EO) satellite under the pioneering Public-Private Partnership (EO-PPP) model.

This initiative represents a pivotal point for India’s space sector. For the first time in the history of the Indian space sector, a private consortium would invest more than INR1,200 crore over the next 5 years to launch a constellation of 12 state-of-the-art EO satellites equipped with panchromatic, multispectral, hyperspectral, and microwave SAR sensors. The constellation will deliver Analysis Ready Data (ARD) and Value-Added Services (VAS) for applications in climate change monitoring, disaster management, agriculture, infrastructure, marine surveillance, national security, and urban planning, while also catering to the global demand for high-quality geospatial intelligence.

By generating high-resolution, indigenous satellite data, the initiative will significantly reduce India’s reliance on foreign sources, ensure data sovereignty, and position the country among the global leader, in space-based data solutions.

“This initiative signals the coming of age of India’s private space industry in the space sector. It demonstrates the capability and confidence of Indian companies to lead large-scale, technologically advanced, and commercially viable space missions that serve both national and global markets. The EO-PPP model fosters an ecosystem where public and private capabilities reinforce each other to drive growth, innovation, and self-reliance.” — Dr. Pawan Goenka, Chairman, IN-SPACe

Dr. Pawan Goenka, Chairman, IN-SPACe, said, “This initiative signals the coming of age of India’s private space industry in the space sector. It demonstrates the capability and confidence of Indian companies to lead large-scale, technologically advanced, and commercially viable space missions that serve both national and global markets. The EO-PPP model fosters an ecosystem where public and private capabilities reinforce each other to drive growth, innovation, and self-reliance.”

Under the PPP framework, the Government of India will provide strategic, technical, and policy support, while the PixxelSpace India-led consortium will own and operate the EO system, including satellite manufacturing, launches from Indian soil, ground infrastructure, and commercialization of data services.

Rajeev Jyoti, Director, Technical Directorate, IN-SPACe, said: “This project is about building India’s own independent and future-ready geospatial infrastructure. It will lead to Atmanirbharta (self-reliance) in high-resolution optical and radar data for India, catalyse innovation, create thousands of high-skill jobs, and contribute directly to our goal of growing India’s space economy from $8.4 billion in 2022 to $44 billion by 2033.”

The EO constellation will be deployed in a phased manner over the next four years to ensure continuous service upgrades and expanded coverage. Once operational, it will be among the most advanced EO systems in the world, designed, built, and operated entirely in India by Indian talent.