Indian startup TakeMe2Space to launch orbital computing satellite on SpaceX rocket

Indian space startup TakeMe2Space is set to launch its first orbital computing satellite aboard a SpaceX rocket on October 1, according to an announcement on Monday. The MOI-1A spacecraft, weighing less than 50 kilograms, will carry Nvidia Orin NX edge-computing processors. The company has secured 23 customers, ranging from geographic information system firms to educational institutions and commercial users in agriculture, mining, supply-chain management, and insurance.

These customers will upload containerized AI models to the satellite, which can process data in orbit and transmit the results to Earth, reducing the need to transmit raw data back to Earth. TakeMe2Space founder and CEO Ronak Samantray explained that this approach can significantly lower costs for customers who generate large amounts of data but only require analysis.

The company's long-term vision includes the development of larger, networked satellites to serve multiple customers, with plans to build its next-generation satellites from 2027 onwards.