A Hyderabad-based space technology startup has secured $5 million in seed funding to build India’s first orbital data centre infrastructure, marking a significant milestone in how the nation approaches computational capacity and AI deployment. TakeMe2Space raised the capital from prominent venture investors including Chiratae Ventures, Unicorn India Ventures, Artha Venture Fund, and Seafund, positioning itself at the forefront of a global race to leverage space-based computing as a solution to terrestrial data centre constraints.
The funding announcement arrives as the company prepares to launch MOI-1, a 14-kilogram satellite scheduled to deploy aboard India’s PSLV-C62 mission on January 12, 2026, marking the operational debut of what the company describes as an “AI lab in space.” This development reflects growing recognition that orbital infrastructure represents not merely a technological novelty but a strategically important capability for nations seeking computational independence and energy-efficient AI deployment at scale.
Orbital Computing as Infrastructure Strategy
TakeMe2Space’s approach focuses on deploying satellite constellations equipped with high-performance computing capacity that enables customers to run artificial intelligence inference workloads directly in orbit rather than transmitting data to terrestrial data centres for processing. MOI-1 features an integrated MIRA space telescope and is designed to serve approximately 15 customers with immediate computational capabilities.
The company’s longer-term architecture envisions deploying six satellites with approximately 5 kilowatts of total in-orbit compute capacity, interconnected through optical links—an engineering approach that the company identifies as foundational to its vision of distributed orbital data centre infrastructure.
Founder and CEO Ronak Kumar Samantray articulated the democratization imperative underlying the venture: enabling researchers and organizations throughout India to access space-based computing resources without requiring affiliation with government space agencies or elite technical institutions. This positioning differentiates TakeMe2Space from traditional satellite operators and positions orbital computing as infrastructure accessible to broad customer bases rather than specialized government or academic users.
Technical Architecture and Operational Validation
The startup has already demonstrated critical technical capabilities through testing aboard ISRO’s SpaDeX mission in December 2024, successfully uploading large AI models to orbital satellites, executing external code within spacecraft computing environments, and downlinking encrypted results to ground stations. This validation addressed a primary engineering challenge in space-based computing: demonstrating that commercial-grade AI models can execute reliably within the radiation-intensive, thermally constrained environment of orbital spacecraft.
The company has also validated radiation shielding technologies in orbit that extend satellite operational lifespans while utilizing standard commercial electronic components rather than expensive space-qualified alternatives, potentially improving unit economics of orbital infrastructure.
Strategic Expansion and Competitive Context
The capital infusion will support expansion of the satellite constellation, scale-up of in-orbit AI computing capabilities, and accelerated team growth from 17 to 50-60 employees across engineering and commercial functions.
TakeMe2Space plans to establish presence in India, the United States, and Australia, positioning itself to serve geographically distributed customers and capture emerging markets for orbital computing services. The company’s strategic moment coincides with intensifying global competition around space-based infrastructure, with major technology firms including Google, SpaceX, and emerging ventures exploring orbital data centre models that leverage continuous solar energy and space’s thermal properties as advantages over terrestrial facilities constrained by power grid limitations and water consumption requirements.
