Hyderabad start-ups build 14 kg mini satellite for ISRO's PSLV launch

Two Hyderabad-based start-ups, TakeMe2Space and EON Space Labs, have built and shipped a 14 kg Earth observation mini satellite for launch as a co-passenger on ISRO's PSLV. The MOI-1 mission, costing about Rs 2.5 crore, processes data in orbit using AI.

India's private space sector has taken another step forward as two Hyderabad-based start-ups completed testing and integration of a compact 14 kg Earth observation satellite in Ahmedabad and shipped it to Sriharikota. The satellite will ride as one of about 18 co-passenger payloads on an ISRO PSLV mission.

Called MOI-1, the mission was developed by TakeMe2Space with electro-optics support from EON Space Labs. The satellite, which will operate in low Earth orbit at around 500 km altitude, carries a multispectral camera capturing nine spectral bands for agriculture monitoring, urban mapping, ship detection and construction tracking -- and it processes data in orbit using AI instead of sending raw images to the ground.

Built for about Rs 2.5 crore -- 40 to 70 per cent cheaper than global equivalents -- MOI-1 uses mostly indigenously developed hardware, with only one foreign component, an Nvidia GPU. The mission underlines the growing role of start-ups in India's space economy and aligns with ISRO's push to open launches to private players.