Cosmoserve Eyes Local Components to Power Spacecraft

Hyderabad: Hyderabad-based space-tech start-up Cosmoserve Space said it was looking to procure most components for its spacecraft locally, including specialised optical systems, as it works towards reducing dependence on imports and developing indigenous technology for space debris removal.

The company currently sources nearly 60 per cent of its mission components locally, with most of its mechanical systems developed in-house and sourced from Hyderabad. However, electronics and optical systems are still imported.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Cosmoserve founder and CEO Dr Chiranjeevi Phanindra said Hyderabad could gradually fill this gap, with local companies developing specialised components for space applications.

“Electronics and optical systems are still imported. Over time, I expect both can be built in India. Hyderabad’s EON Space Labs, for example, is building optical cameras for space applications, and once they are fully qualified we can source them locally,” he said.

The company’s newly-inaugurated 14,800-square-foot Base 1 facility at VSD Tech Park, Gachibowli, is equipped to design, build and test space robotics and satellite servicing systems. It will also support in-orbit repairs and refuelling, with laboratories for robotic capture, orbital rendezvous, microgravity simulation, satellite integration and mission control.

Cosmoserve is also preparing to repeat its Mission EMBRACE demonstration after its robotic capture petals failed to deploy during its July 2026 flight aboard Skyroot Aerospace’s Vikram-1 rocket. Phanindra said around 75 per cent of the mission’s systems worked as planned, as confirmed through telemetry.

“The petals were held against the base structure using restraint cables to withstand launch vibrations, but the cables were not cut on command, leaving the petals locked. Low temperatures may also have caused the soft petals to stiffen. We have ruggedised both systems with added reliability and redundancy for our next flight,” he said.

The company plans to conduct a full-scale space debris capture demonstration in 2027. The mission will involve sending a chaser spacecraft towards a non-cooperative target and approaching it to within 25 to 10 metres before moving closer to capture it and deorbit it into the atmosphere. The demonstration is intended to validate the company’s complete ReVIS architecture.

Cosmoserve is developing a dual-spacecraft system in which a larger orbital service station carries fuel, equipment and spare parts, while a smaller autonomous vehicle travels between satellites to capture, diagnose, repair or remove them.

Phanindra said the model was designed to service multiple dead satellites in a single campaign, allowing the mission cost to be shared among several satellite operators. “We aim to bring servicing costs down from around $10 million to below $1 million per satellite. Demonstrating the capability in orbit would be essential before offering the service commercially,” he said.