HYDERABAD, India — India’s push into space-based computing is getting another shot at orbit.
Hyderabad-based startup TakeMe2Space is preparing to launch its MOI-1A orbital computing satellite aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9, following the loss of its original MOI-1 spacecraft during the failed ISRO PSLV-C62 mission in January.
SpaceX currently lists Transporter-18, a Falcon 9 rideshare mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, for October 1, 2026. TakeMe2Space has said MOI-1A is scheduled to fly on that mission, while its own technology page lists the launch for October.
The mission could become an important test for India’s emerging private space sector—and for a different way of handling the enormous amounts of data generated by satellites.
A COMPUTER IN ORBIT
Unlike conventional satellites that primarily capture information and send large volumes of raw data back to Earth, TakeMe2Space is developing spacecraft designed to process data in orbit.
The company says MOI-1A carries a 117-TOPS AI computing system, 2 TB of onboard storage and a nine-band multispectral imager. Its onboard processor is based on an Nvidia Jetson Orin NX platform, allowing the satellite to analyze Earth-observation data while still in orbit.
The basic idea is straightforward: instead of transmitting everything a satellite sees back to Earth, some of the processing can happen closer to where the data is collected.
TakeMe2Space says its OrbitLab platform is intended to let users upload AI models, run computing workloads in orbit and receive processed information rather than necessarily downloading all of the original data. The company says this could reduce transmission requirements and speed up access to useful information.
SPACE X REPLACES THE LOST ISRO RIDE
The upcoming launch follows a major setback earlier this year.
On January 12, 2026, ISRO’s PSLV-C62 mission encountered an anomaly during the rocket’s third stage. ISRO officially recorded the mission as unsuccessful and said an investigation was initiated.
TakeMe2Space’s original MOI-1 satellite was among the spacecraft lost in that mission.
Rather than wait for another domestic launch opportunity, the company turned to SpaceX’s commercial rideshare program. ThePrint reported in May that TakeMe2Space had booked the replacement MOI-1A on SpaceX’s Transporter-18 mission after the PSLV-C62 failure.
That decision illustrates how India’s private space companies are increasingly looking beyond the country’s launch providers to secure access to orbit.
FROM EXPERIMENT TO ORBITAL COMPUTING BUSINESS
MOI-1A is not TakeMe2Space’s first attempt at demonstrating computing in space.
The company previously tested its technology through MOI-TD, a technology demonstrator hosted on ISRO’s PSLV Orbital Experimental Module. TakeMe2Space says the demonstration validated onboard computing and its radiation-protection technology.
The company has since expanded its ambitions beyond a single satellite.
In January, The New Indian Express reported that TakeMe2Space had raised $5 million in seed funding, led by Chiratae Ventures, with participation from Unicorn India Ventures, Artha Venture Fund and SeaFund. The funding was intended to help expand its satellite constellation and develop orbital computing infrastructure.
The startup has described plans for multiple satellites working together to provide computing and Earth-observation services from low Earth orbit.
THE BIGGER PLAN: DATA CENTRES IN SPACE
TakeMe2Space’s longer-term vision goes far beyond MOI-1A.
The company says it is working toward orbital data centres, where multiple satellites equipped with computing hardware could process, store and exchange data in space.
Its website currently describes a planned six-satellite constellation and says the spacecraft will combine Earth-observation capabilities with onboard computing.
More recently, The Economic Times reported that TakeMe2Space has signed a launch-service agreement for its next-generation satellites, which are planned to carry Nvidia GPUs, approximately 1,500 watts of computing capacity and 100 TB of storage per spacecraft. Those Generation-2 satellites are targeted for a 2028 SpaceX Falcon 9 launch.
A separate September report said a launch-services agreement with European company RIDE! covers two satellites targeted for the third quarter of 2028, although that agreement does not itself identify a specific rocket.
WHY PROCESS DATA IN SPACE?
Satellites can generate huge amounts of information, particularly when equipped with high-resolution cameras and other sensors.
Sending every piece of raw data to Earth requires communications bandwidth and can introduce delays. Onboard computing could allow a satellite to identify patterns, objects or other useful information before transmitting the results.
TakeMe2Space says its system is aimed at applications including Earth observation and AI workloads, where users could receive processed insights instead of waiting for all raw satellite data to be transmitted.
But orbital data centres also face significant engineering challenges, including limited power, thermal management, radiation exposure, communications constraints and the difficulty of maintaining hardware in space.
That means the October mission will be more than another satellite deployment. It will be a real-world test of whether India’s emerging private space sector can turn orbital computing from a technology demonstration into a commercially usable service.
ANOTHER MILESTONE FOR INDIA’S PRIVATE SPACE SECTOR
TakeMe2Space’s SpaceX launch comes as India’s private space industry continues to expand.
In July, Indian startup Skyroot Aerospace successfully launched Vikram-1, marking India’s first privately developed orbital rocket mission. TakeMe2Space also had hardware aboard that mission: its PowerBank-50 battery successfully powered a payload in a 450-kilometre orbit, according to India Today.
The developments point to a broader shift in India’s space industry, with startups increasingly involved not only in satellites but also in launch vehicles, components, communications and space-based computing.
For TakeMe2Space, however, the immediate objective is simpler.
After losing its first orbital computing satellite in January, the company now has another spacecraft waiting for a ride.
And if MOI-1A reaches orbit aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 as planned in October, India’s experiment with putting AI computing power in space will enter its next—and potentially much more consequential—phase.
