New Delhi: Hyderabad-based start-up TakeMe2Space is all set to launch its MOI-1a satellite on SpaceX’s Transporter 18 mission no earlier than October. The satellite, designed as India’s first AI laboratory and data centre in orbit, replaces MOI-1, which was lost aboard ISRO’s PSLV-C62 Mission in January after an anomaly in the rocket’s third stage.
In a LinkedIn post on 15 April, TakeMe2Space announced that the MOI-1a satellite will fly aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket soon.
“Any space startup is burning cash whether or not they launch. Accessing space-based services as quickly as possible is important for business,” said Anand Rajagopalan, executive vice president (business strategy), TakeMe2Space. “As soon as C62 failed, we started looking for the earliest launch slot. There was one on SpaceX, and we took it.”
The PSLV-C62 mission, which took off on 12 January, failed midway, taking down the main Earth Observation Satellite (EOS-9) and 15 co-passenger satellites, including TakeMe2Space’s MOI-1. It was ISRO’s only launch in 2026 and the second consecutive failure of the PSLV rocket.
MOI-1 was TakeMe2Space’s maiden satellite, and was joined by payloads from other three other Indian start-ups, including Dhruva Space, EON Space Labs, and OrbitAid.
PSLV-C62 also carried satellites from Indian university students and organisations across four countries. Apart from Theos-2a, a joint UK-Thailand satellite, none of the other payloads were insured.
Union Minister of Science and Technology Jitendra Singh had earlier remarked that ISRO was planning on reattempting the PSLV-C62 mission in June. Currently, there is no communication from ISRO in this regard.
“None of the foreign passengers booked on PSLV-C62 have withdrawn. The success rate of our launches is still pretty high compared to any other country around the world,” Singh said in February.
While TakeMe2Space and EON SpaceLabs are planning a SpaceX launch no earlier than October, OrbitAid too is planning its next move. According to a post on their website, the Tamil Nadu-based start-up is in conversation with both SpaceX and ISRO for a ‘twin satellite launch’ for an in-space docking and refuelling mission.
“Depending on the availability of the rocket for our two satellites we will decide on the launcher,” R.Sakthikumar, Founder and CEO of OrbitAid, said in the post.
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What is TakeMe2Space’s satellite?
TakeMe2Space’s MOI-1a satellite is equipped with AI compute power to not just collect satellite imagery but also process it in space. It is the first in a series of five satellites that would together form a constellation, to enable earth observation and data computing in space.
Besides working with Indian start-ups EON Space Labs for the satellite’s sensor and lenses, TakeMe2Space is also collaborating with private companies to ‘indigenise’ its satellite as much as possible.
The two-year-old start-up had also performed a tech demonstration in 2024, aboard ISRO’s PSLV-C60 mission. After the failure of PSLV-C62 Mission, Rajagopalan said, they knew they had to get into problem solving mode right away.
Over the next two years, the company plans to launch four more MOI satellites, and by the end of 2029, it plans to be ready with its massive 50kW orbital data centre.
TakeMe2Space still plans to continue its collaboration with ISRO and is in talks to launch AaduSat satellite later this year. The details of the launch will be shared by New Space India Limited and IN-SPACE.
(Edited by Prashant Dixit)