India Backs Homegrown Space Tech With First Technology Adoption Fund Grants

India's space regulator IN-SPACe has named the first recipients of its Technology Adoption Fund, choosing three startups, TakeMe2Space, SatSure and Astrobase, in a push to reduce the country's dependence on imported space hardware. The maiden round marks a concrete step in translating India's stated ambition of nurturing a private space economy into direct financial backing for early-stage builders of critical subsystems.

The most eye-catching project comes from Hyderabad-based TakeMe2Space, which will use the support to develop StarSense, an indigenous AI-powered star tracker for satellites. Localising a component that operators have traditionally had to source from abroad speaks directly to the fund's purpose of building strategic self-reliance in space technology.

Why star trackers matter

Star trackers are optical instruments that work out a spacecraft's orientation by reading patterns in the star field, a capability critical for high-resolution imaging and communications missions. Without precise attitude determination, a satellite cannot reliably point its cameras, antennas or solar panels, making the star tracker one of the quiet but indispensable components aboard modern spacecraft. Historically these precision instruments have been expensive and often imported, adding cost and supply-chain exposure for emerging operators.

StarSense bakes AI directly into the sensing and processing pipeline, with the company planning a StarSense Lite for CubeSats and a StarSense Pro for larger satellites. Embedding intelligence in the sensing chain can improve speed and robustness in identifying star patterns, while the tiered product strategy lets a single platform serve everything from small university-grade CubeSats to heavier commercial satellites.

• TakeMe2Space (Hyderabad): StarSense, an AI-powered indigenous star tracker, in Lite and Pro variants
• SatSure: among the maiden round of Technology Adoption Fund recipients
• Astrobase: also selected in the inaugural funding round
• Fund aim: cut dependence on imported space hardware and support private space players

Building a homegrown supply chain

The award fits a broader policy aim of nurturing private space players in India, where building precision navigation subsystems at home could cut costs and supply-chain risks for a fast-growing roster of satellite operators. As more Indian companies plan constellations for Earth observation and communications, the demand for reliable, affordable attitude-control hardware will only grow, and sourcing it domestically reduces both expense and exposure to foreign export controls.

IN-SPACe's decision to seed component-level innovation rather than only headline launch projects reflects an understanding that a durable space industry needs depth across the supply chain, not just rockets and satellites. If StarSense and its fellow grant recipients mature into proven, flight-ready products, the Technology Adoption Fund could become a template for systematically closing the gaps that have kept India reliant on imports. The progress of this first cohort will be an early signal of how effectively public funding can catalyse private space hardware at home.

The NE Times View

IN-SPACe's first grants signal that India's space ambitions are finally reaching private innovators. The NE Times View: backing startups like TakeMe2Space and an indigenous AI star tracker shows the regulator moving from gatekeeper to enabler, the shift the sector has long needed. Seed grants alone will not build a commercial space economy; sustained capital and procurement must follow. Still, this is the right and overdue direction for Indian deeptech.

This article is original commentary and analysis by The NE Times. Background facts were referenced from Business Standard, The Tech Portal.