TeamIndus & Rahul Narayan’s Lunar Dreams
TeamIndus, founded by Rahul Narayan and a team of engineers, emerged as one of India’s earliest private aerospace ventures with its sights set on the Moon. The team, which included ex-ISRO scientists and young engineers, built a lunar lander from scratch in a country with no private spaceflight ecosystem. The vehicle, later dubbed HHK1, was designed to ride aboard ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). Despite the Google Lunar XPRIZE’s cancellation in 2018, TeamIndus continued lunar ambitions post-contest, repositioning itself as a commercial lunar services company. The company helped create a precedent for Indian startups to build space-grade hardware, navigate policy hurdles, and dream at planetary scales.
- $20 million prize
- Bengaluru
- Commercial lunar services
- Funding
- Google Lunar XPRIZE
- HHK1 (Hum Honge Kamyaab One)
- High-definition images
- Indian space entrepreneurs
- ISRO Collaboration
- Lunar dreams
- Lunar lander
- Lunar technology
- Milestones
- Mission design
- Modular lander platforms
- Nandan Nilekani
- Payload integration
- Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)
- Policy hurdles
- Private aerospace venture
- Private space technology
- Rahul Narayan
- Ratan Tata
- Sachin Bansal
- Scientific instruments
- Space Exploration
- Space-grade hardware
- spacecraft
- TeamIndus
China conducts In-orbit Refueling Test
Two Chinese spacecraft, the Shijian-21 and Shijian-25, have recently met up 22,000 miles above Earth as part of a refueling demonstration mission. The spacecraft were developed by China’s state-owned Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST). The test aims to demonstrate on-orbit refueling and mission extension capabilities, helping to improve the sustainability of space operations. The US and Tokyo-based Astroscale are likely to observe the activity, and the US has already tested life-extension services for satellites in geosynchronous orbit.
- 22
- 236 Miles
- Astroscale
- Chinese Spacecraft
- Close Approach
- Complex Refueling Tests
- Docking Test
- Geosynchronous Orbit
- Life-Extension Services
- Long March 3B
- Military Space Debris Mitigation
- Mission Extension Capabilities
- Mission Extension Vehicle-1
- Mission Extension Vehicle-2
- On-Orbit Refueling
- Orbital Maneuvering
- Refueling Demonstration Mission
- s2a Systems
- Satellite Sustainability
- Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST)
- Shijian-21
- Space Exploration
- Space Operations
- Space Situational Awareness
- Space technology
- Sustainability of Space Operations
- U.S. Surveillance Spacecraft
- Undocking Test
- USA 270
- USA 271
Pawan Kumar Chandana: Fueling India’s Private Space Dream
India’s space ambitions are soaring, with Pawan Kumar Chandana, Co-Founder, CEO, and CTO of Skyroot Aerospace, leading the way. Chandana, a former ISRO scientist and IIT Kharagpur alumnus, has been instrumental in shaping the country’s position in the global space race. With the motto “Open Space for All,” Skyroot aims to democratize space exploration. The company has raised US$4.3 million since its inception and has entered into a memorandum of understanding with Dhruva Space. The Department of Space has signed an agreement with Skyroot Aerospace for access to ISRO’s facilities and expertise for testing sub-systems and systems of launch vehicles. Skyroot has developed 3D-printed engines, cryogenic engines powered by LNG and LOX, modular rocket stages, and all-composite structures for lightweight, high-performance rockets. The company is now gearing up for its next milestone — the Vikram-I orbital launch.
- 3D Printing
- Aerospace Innovation
- Avionics
- Carbon-Composites
- Cryogenic Engines
- Engineering Excellence
- Entrepreneurial Spirit
- Funding Rounds
- Future of Space.
- Hyderabad
- Indian Space Program
- ISRO
- Launch Vehicles
- National Missions
- Pawan Kumar Chandana
- Private Space Industry
- Rocket Propulsion
- Skyroot Aerospace
- Small Satellites
- Space Exploration
- Space Policy
- Space Startups
- Space technology
- Suborbital Flight
- Vikram Series