Spacetech Startup Astrogate Bags Funding To Develop Laser Communication Terminals

SUMMARY

Astrogate Labs has raised $1.3 Mn in its pre-Series funding round led by Piper Serica Angel Fund

The startup will use the capital to accelerate the development of its laser communication terminals, targeting both space applications and additional use cases in terrestrial and airborne environments

Astrogate Labs provides end-to-end laser communication systems for secure high-speed connectivity

Bengaluru-based spacetech startup Astrogate Labs raised $1.3 Mn in its pre-Series funding round led by Piper Serica Angel Fund.

In a statement, the startup said that the capital will be used to accelerate the development of its laser communication terminals, targeting both space applications and additional use cases in terrestrial and airborne environments.

Besides, a part of the fresh funds will also be used to scale operations and strengthen its partnerships with space agencies and defence organisations.

Founded by Nitish Singh, Yogeshwaran J, and Subhajit Chakraborty in 2017, Astrogate Labs provides end-to-end laser communication systems for secure high-speed connectivity. Its communication products are compatible with cube and nano satellites for providing wireless space-to-ground as well as space-to-space communication.

With over 25,000 small satellites expected to be in orbit by 2030, traditional radio frequency systems face severe bandwidth limitations and spectrum congestion. Astrogate Labs’ laser communication solutions provide an alternative for high-speed and secure data transmission of up to 10 Gbps.

Commenting on the funding, Astrogate Labs cofounder and CEO Singh said, “Laser-comm systems are rapidly gaining market traction for their unmatched throughput and efficiency. This capital will help us scale our solutions for additional use-cases in terrestrial mobile and air links.”

Astrogate Labs is backed by Speciale Invest, Anicut Angel Fund, SuprValue.vc, and FirstCheque.Vc.

The development comes at a time when the Indian spacetech sector has taken rapid strides over the last few years after the government opened it up for private players. The Centre has also launched a number of policies aimed at supporting innovation and startups in the sector.

Last year, the Union Cabinet approved the establishment of a venture capital fund with a corpus of INR 1,000 Cr under the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe).

Earlier this month, IN-SPACe also launched INR 500 Cr Technology Adoption Fund to offer funding to support space tech startups.

However, according to Inc42’s Indian Startup Funding Report 2024, the funding raised by Indian spacetech startups declined 35% year-on-year (YoY) to $81 Mn last year. The number of deals rose to 14 in 2024 compared to 11 in 2023.