Indian space startup TakeMe2Space plans to launch what it describes as India’s first orbital computing satellite on a SpaceX rocket on October 1. The mission aims to process data in orbit instead of sending raw information back to Earth for processing.
The company’s MOI-1A spacecraft is a sub-50 kg satellite equipped with Nvidia Orin NX edge-computing processors. It is scheduled to launch aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-18 rideshare mission.
TakeMe2Space said on Monday that it has signed 23 customers for the mission, including geographic information system companies and educational institutions. Commercial users will include businesses in agriculture, mining, supply-chain management and insurance, Founder and CEO Ronak Samantray told Reuters. US-based space data analytics firm Little Place Labs is among its customers.
Customers will be able to upload containerized AI models to the satellite. The spacecraft can process data as it passes over a specified area and send the analysis back to Earth instead of transmitting the full underlying dataset, Samantray said.
“The customer who sees value in our first-generation satellites is the one paying to download a lot of raw data and then do the compute,” Samantray said. “The reduction in the cost of not downloading it offsets the premium they pay for compute in orbit.”
The spacecraft is designed as an onboard edge-computing satellite rather than a conventional data centre. It has about 150 watts of power, according to Samantray. In comparison, companies such as SpaceX and Starcloud plan to use more advanced Nvidia chips designed for terrestrial data centres.
TakeMe2Space’s longer-term plan is to develop larger, networked satellites capable of serving multiple customers.
The startup’s earlier technology-demonstration mission in late 2024 validated its ability to upload applications, perform AI inference in orbit and download results. A subsequent satellite, MOI-1, was lost following a launch-vehicle third-stage failure.
TakeMe2Space also plans to provide cold storage in orbit for critical data, targeting financial-services and defence customers seeking an additional backup location beyond terrestrial cloud providers.
The company said it designs and manufactures most of its satellite subsystems in India, while sourcing chips, solar cells and propulsion systems externally. It plans to begin developing larger satellites in 2027, with the goal of increasing computing capacity and reducing costs.
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