Indian startup to launch 1st orbital computing satellite aboard SpaceX rocket

TakeMe2Space will launch its MOI-1A orbital computing satellite on a SpaceX mission on 1 October. The mission aims to process data in orbit and cut the need to send raw datasets back to Earth.The satellite will process data as it passes over a specified region and send the resulting analysis back to Earth. (Photo: Reuters)New Delhi,Sep 28, 2026 15:32 ISTIndian space startup TakeMe2Space is set to launch what it describes as India's first orbital computing satellite aboard a SpaceX rocket on October 1, marking a step towards processing data directly in space instead of transmitting raw information back to Earth.The company's MOI-1A spacecraft will fly aboard SpaceX's Transporter-18 rideshare mission.Weighing 14 kg, the satellite is equipped with Nvidia Orin NX processors capable of delivering 117 trillion operations per second (TOPS) of computing power.TakeMe2Space founder and CEO Ronak Samantray told Reuters that the company has signed 23 customers for the mission, including geographic information system companies, educational institutions and businesses in agriculture, mining, supply-chain management and insurance. US-based space data analytics firm Little Place Labs is among the customers. AI MODELS TO PROCESS DATA IN ORBITUnlike conventional Earth-observation satellites that transmit large volumes of raw data to ground stations for analysis, MOI-1A will allow customers to upload artificial intelligence models directly to the spacecraft.The satellite will process data as it passes over a specified region and send the resulting analysis back to Earth, reducing the need to download entire datasets. "The reduction in the cost of not downloading it offsets the premium they pay for compute in orbit," Samantray told Reuters.The spacecraft is a 6U CubeSat measuring 226.3 x 100 x 366 mm, with 2 terabytes of onboard storage, nine-band multispectral imaging and a peak power capacity of 120 watts.FROM TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATION TO COMMERCIAL OPERATIONSTakeMe2Space's earlier technology demonstration mission in late 2024 validated its ability to upload applications, perform AI inference in orbit and download results. Its subsequent MOI-1 satellite was lost after a third-stage failure of its launch vehicle.The company is now looking to build larger, networked satellites from 2027 to increase computing capacity and lower costs.It also plans to offer orbital cold storage for critical data, targeting financial services and defence customers seeking additional backup beyond terrestrial cloud providers.TakeMe2Space designs and manufactures most of its satellite subsystems in India, while sourcing chips, solar cells and propulsion systems externally.- Ends