Cosmoserve Space to test debris capture technology on Skyroot’s Vikram-1 mission
Hyderabad, July 7 (TNT): Hyderabad-based space technology startup Cosmoserve Space on Monday announced that it will conduct the first in-orbit demonstration of its soft robotic capture technology as part of Mission Embrace, which will fly aboard Skyroot Aerospace’s maiden orbital launch, Vikram-1, during the launch window from July 12 to August 4.
The mission will be carried on Mission Aagaman, Skyroot’s first orbital launch carrying satellite payloads.
Cosmoserve Space said Mission Embrace is intended to validate its soft robotic capture mechanism, designed to gently capture inactive and non-cooperative satellites in orbit. The company claimed the mission would attempt the world’s first demonstration of soft robotic capture technology in space.
The startup is developing Active Debris Removal (ADR) technologies to address the growing challenge of defunct satellites and orbital debris. Its proposed system consists of a robotic servicer spacecraft capable of capturing and deorbiting inactive satellites.
According to the company, the capture mechanism was developed from concept to flight-ready hardware in four months. Cosmoserve Space, incorporated less than a year ago, said the payload had completed all major engineering reviews before being cleared for launch.
The development process included system concept, preliminary design, critical design and flight readiness reviews conducted under the supervision of an independent committee comprising former ISRO scientists and industry experts, the company said.
“Mission Embrace forms part of India’s first private orbital launch carrying satellite payloads while also attempting the world’s first demonstration of soft robotic capture in orbit,” Cosmoserve Space Founder and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Chiranjeevi Phanindra said.
He said the mission would demonstrate the pace at which India’s private space ecosystem could develop and validate advanced technologies through industry collaboration.
The company said Mission Embrace is the first step in its long-term plans to develop technologies for active debris removal and in-orbit servicing, sectors expected to gain importance as the number of satellites in Earth orbit continues to increase.
Cosmoserve said its long-term objective is to build systems capable of capturing and removing defunct satellites while supporting the sustainability of future space operations.
TNT TS
