Spacetech Startup XDLINK Space Labs Raises $7 Mn From Ashish Kacholia, Others

Spacetech startup XDLINX Space Labs has raised $7 Mn (about INR 58.8 / Cr) in its seed funding round led by ace investor Ashish Kacholia. The round also saw participation from E2MC, Mana Ventures, and one unnamed family office.

In a statement, the Hyderabad-based startup said it plans to leverage the fresh capital for its first commercial mission and to develop its own satellite. 

“… the funding… will help us to accelerate the manufacturing of next-generation payloads for defence and commercial missions like E-band communications, optical and RF intelligence to building space heritage, operationalisation of satellite bus platforms and expand our global presence in the US and UK,” XDLINX Space Labs’ cofounder and CEO Rupesh Gandupalli said. 

Founded by Gandupalli and Karthik Govindhasamy, XDLINX Space Labs offers end-to-end nano and micro satellite platforms with hosted payloads. It claims to have multiple platforms and launched a software-designed 6U small satellite ‘JANUS-1’ aboard ISRO’s SSLV-D2 rocket in February last year. 

The startup said it is currently working on its next major project ‘Elevation-1’, which will see it launch a miniaturised space-grade E-band payload which is scheduled to be launched aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-12 mission. It claimed that Elevation-1 will be the world’s first commercial mission designed to demonstrate E-band communications with digital modulation.

Besides, the spacetech startup is also building a 150-kg class satellite hosting Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and multi-spectral optical sensors together using its XDSAT-M600 platform. The platform is scheduled to be launched in the third quarter of 2025. 

XDLINX Space Labs also claims to be in final discussions with its customers for building and launching a sub-metre multi-spectral imagery satellite constellation. 

The development comes at a time when India’s spacetech sector is buzzing with activities amid supportive government policies. From opening up the space sector to private entities and liberalising the FDI regime for the sector to announcing new space programmes, the Centre has taken a number of initiatives to promote startups.

As a result, a number of spacetech startups have emerged in the country over the last few years. As per Inc42 data, India is home to over 150 spacetech startups, including notable names like Pixxel, Agnikul, and Skyroot. The country’s spacetech sector is estimated to reach a market size of $77 Bn by 2030.