India’s space tech story — Chandrayaan-3, the startup boom, and skills in demand

Welcome to the thirteenth issue of the Tech Wrap India, a fortnightly newsletter bringing you the hottest conversations shaping the world of tech right now, brought to you by Isha Chitnis , tech and innovation editor at LinkedIn News India.?

This week, we explore:

?? How the Chandrayaan-3 is propelling India’s space tech success story

?? The emerging space tech revolution in the startup ecosystem

?? The skills that will propel a successful career in space tech

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All eyes are on India’s space tech sector, and for good reason.?

The country’s Chandrayaan-3 lander module was the first ever to successfully land on the moon’s south pole on August 23, 2023. The Aditya-L1 solar mission was launched recently and completed its second earth-bound manoeuvre on September 5, 2023. Skyroot Aerospace scripted history last year as it launched India’s first privately-developed rocket Vikram-S into space.

The result of these stellar achievements? More interest, investment, and government initiative.

?As of August 2023, startups in India’s space tech sector have raised $62 million and investment in the industry saw a four-fold increase to $112 million in 2022 and over $28 million 2020, according to Tracxn. The Cabinet Committee on Security approved the Indian Space Policy in April this year, whose goals include bolstering the country’s space capabilities and enabling a thriving commercial presence in space, among others.?

Two days after the Chandrayaan-3 launch, the GST council exempted private launch service companies from paying GST if they launched satellites into space using their launch vehicles or rockets. At least three countries — Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and Singapore — have approached India for possible space tech collaborations after the moon landing, reports The Times of India.

Sanjay Nekkanti , CEO and Co-founder at Hyderabad-based Dhruva Space, told The Economic Times that the mission will create technological challenges, open up new markets, foster collaborations, attract investments, inspire the public, and offer the potential for innovative spin-off technologies.

A market can also emerge for products and services like spacecraft components and propulsion systems to lunar surface habitats and rovers, he adds.

?? Unlocking the space tech startup story

More than 150 startups have emerged in areas like rocket building and satellites, setting up astronaut training facilities, and exploring space tourism possibilities since India opened up its space sector in 2020, according to a YourStory report. Chandrayaan-3’s milestone will only propel the sector further, experts say.

“As India opened its gates to space, incredible work has been demonstrated by entrepreneurs in India to meet the world demand. Now with Chandrayaan-3, interest of not just investors, but entrepreneurs and also budding scientists has shifted to science,” says Radha Krishna Kavuluru , Scientist at the Indian Space Research Organisation. A significant impact of this development? Science and scientific ventures can add an incredible amount of economic value to a country’s Gross Domestic Product, he adds.

Startups like Agnikul Cosmos, Dhruva Space, Pixxel, and Skyroot Aerospace are revolutionising the satellite launch industry, Earth observation, and small satellite missions, says Varun Mallapragada , Chief Operating Officer at venture-builder for early-stage startups Mantra Launchspace.

According to Nekkanti, startups are already identifying market opportunities and developing specialised offerings to meet the needs of Indian and global space agencies, research institutions, and other stakeholders working on lunar missions. This can lead to more collaborative partnerships and missions, he adds.

Reflecting on how the Chandrayaan-3’s success will fuel India’s space tech startup ecosystem, Founder of Skyroot Aerospace Pawan Kumar Chandana told The Indian Express that it is a technology demonstrator for future Moon missions, and the cost-efficient and highly reliable space-grade hardware that the Indian space industry ecosystem supplied to this mission would drive investor confidence in the country’s space sector, and boost revenue flow into the industry. He adds that it could also attract more global aerospace customers and joint ventures into India, and could lead to Indian companies supplying for lunar programmes in other countries.?

What are the top space tech innovations organisations are working on? Optical-link communication, ground station virtualisation, ionic propulsion systems, reusable vehicles, and using artificial intelligence in object/change detection, among others, says Kavuluru.

“This is why I love working and solving problems for space — a marginal addition you do to a product or a technology will have incredible impact on the downstream customers ( farmers, fishermen, rural growth, climate change, etc,” says?Radha Krishna Kavuluru, Scientist at the Indian Space Research Organisation.

??? See Radha Krishna Kavuluru’s post on India’s space tech story

??? Challenges still in orbit

While the sector is thriving, obstacles like the limited availability of specialised skills in aerospace engineering and satellite technology, talent retention, astronomical costs involved in the research and development in the space, and technological constraints still remain, says Varun Mallapragada , Chief Operating Officer at venture-builder for early-stage startups Mantra Launchspace.

Slow adoption rates for space tech solutions, global competition from well-funded players, and regulatory hurdles are among the other barriers in the process of building in the space, he adds.

??? See Varun Mallapragada’s article on India’s space tech industry

?? Skills propelling the space tech boom

”This burgeoning industry is not just about exploration; it's about communication, Earth observation, climate monitoring, and more,” says Kavuluru. And according to him, the engineering precision behind these systems is mind-boggling.

He divides space tech into two domains —? upstream (building satellites and launch vehicles), and downstream (processing data post-launch to generate insights). According to him, optics, Embedded Electronics, Power Systems, Fluid Dynamics, Mechanical Engineering, Structures, Material Science, Chemistry, and Radio Frequency Systems are some of the upstream skills in demand. Sought-after downstream skills include Cloud Computing, Dev-Ops , GPUs, AI & ML, Statistics, Computer Science, as well as core disciplines like Agriculture, Hydrology, and Geoscience, he adds.

His advice to professionals looking to enter the industry? Delve into the “why questions of your domain, seek a mentor, and secure internships.

??? See Radha Krishna Kavuluru’s post on the in-demand skills in space tech

??? Spacetech startup GalaxEye last week released the model of India’s first privately built aerial drone-based Synthetic Aperture Radar system, which can capture high-resolution all-weather imaging even in rainy or cloudy conditions.

??? Bengaluru-based space data application startup SatSure closed a Series A round of $15 million last week and plans to launch a fleet of four high-resolution optical and multispectral satellites by Q4 2025.

??? ISRO and Chandrayaan-3 themed do-it-yourself space kits, hampers, tees, stationary, and model rockets are witnessing a ten-fold surge in demand on e-commerce platforms and retail shelves, reports The Economic Times.

?? Entrepreneur in Residence and Product Leader at Tata Consultancy Services Muthulakshmi N shares how tech professionals can build visibility at work:

??Associate at PwC India Sougata Mazumder shares what tech debt is and how it accumulates:

?? Should founders raise funds from investors who don’t understand their startup? Venture Partner at Impacq Capital Partners Fazlur Shah shares his take:

Reported by: Isha Chitnis

Creator Manager: Raunak Ramteke