Indian Spacetech Sector Soars With Record-breaking Funding

India’s Spacetech sector is set for remarkable growth, owing to significant government investment. The recent Union Budget has allocated Rs 1000 crore to support space technology startups, aimed at boosting the sector’s development and attracting further investment. 

This initiative, along with the establishment of the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) in 2022, is expected to drive substantial innovation and growth. Tracxn’s Space Tech Geo Report 2024 provides insights on a comprehensive overview of the Space Tech sector in India, focusing on recent trends, funding dynamics, and key developments.

Skyroot Aerospace was the highest-funded, with overall funding of USD 99.8 million, followed by Pixxel at USD 71.7 million and Agnikul at USD 61.5 million.

Funding Flow

India’s growing Space Tech sector witnessed a record-breaking funding of USD 126 million in the year 2023, a 7 per cent increase from the USD 118 million raised in 2022 and a 235 per cent increase from USD 37.6 million in 2021. In 2024, the year-to-date funding stands at USD 10.8 million. Despite a global slowdown in funding, the Indian space tech sector has been experiencing an upward trend, driven by substantial government support and significant innovations.

India has emerged as a formidable player in the global space technology arena, with more than 100 space tech startups, the majority of which were founded in the past five years. Government support has been a critical accelerant for this growth. The Union Budget’s funding of 1000 Crore is expected to boost the industry significantly, attracting more entrepreneurship and investment in the coming months. Currently, India boasts 55 active space assets, including communication, meteorological, and earth observation satellites.

Sector's Growth Trajectory

The Indian Space Tech sector's funding landscape is predominantly driven by early-stage investments. In 2023, early-stage rounds attracted USD 120 million of the total USD 126 million raised, reflecting a notable growth from USD 114 million in 2022, which represents a 5 per cent increase. In 2024, early-stage funding has reached USD 8.5 million to date. Seed-stage funding has also seen a significant rise, growing from USD 4.3 million in 2022 to USD 5.3 million in 2023, marking a 24 per cent increase. However, despite this growth in early-stage and seed-stage funding, the nascent ecosystem for private sector participation in Indian Space Tech startups has not yet experienced any late-stage funding.

Skyroot Aerospace leads as the highest-funded active space tech startup in India, with an overall funding of USD 99.8 million, followed by Pixxel at USD 71.7 million and Agnikul at USD 61.5 million. No other startup in this segment has raised funds above USD 50 million. The top-funded business models in this space include Small Satellite Launch Vehicles, Satellite Imaging Services, and Satellite Communication Services. Notably, the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle segment has attracted USD 168 million to date, with Skyroot raising the highest funding in this category.

Despite the vibrant funding landscape, no acquisitions have been observed in 2024 YTD. The only acquisition to date is the 2022 purchase of Prakshep, a satellite imagery provider for the agricultural industry, by Arya. Additionally, the sector has yet to witness the emergence of unicorns. MTAR and Ananth Technologies are the only public companies in this space.

Neha Singh, Co-Founder of Tracxn, commented on the report, saying, “India’s Space Tech sector is growing rapidly, thanks to strong government support and a dynamic startup scene. The significant funding and strategic investments we're seeing now are setting the stage for India to become a major player in the global space industry. Looking ahead, we expect the sector to attract even more investment, sparking more innovation. The combination of solid early-stage funding and supportive government policies will be key to driving this growth and establishing India as a leading center for space exploration and technology.”

The Breakthroughs

The privatisation of the space sector has catalysed a multifold increase in activity. The International Astronautical Federation awarded India the prestigious World Space Award for its successful launch of Chandrayaan 3, which made history in 2023 as the first mission to achieve a soft landing on the moon's south pole. This landmark achievement has set a global standard for India’s potential and cost-effective engineering in the space tech industry.

Bangalore leads the list of top-funded cities in India's space tech sector, followed by Hyderabad and Chennai. Startups based in Bangalore have contributed to more than 55 per cent of the total funding in this space, and it is also the city with the highest number of space tech startups. Among the top investors in the sector are Speciale Invest, Anicut Capital, and GrowX Ventures. Anicut Capital, LetsVenture, and Rosmerta Technologies have been the leading seed-stage investors over the last two years, while Ban Labs, Anicut Capital, and Artha Venture Fund have emerged as the top early-stage investors during the same period.

The evolution of the space industry highlights a global shift from government control to private-sector collaboration. The United States, a pioneer in privatising its space industry with the 1984 Commercial Space Launch Act, has significantly benefited from private company contributions through NASA's Artemis program. Federal funding for NASA has consistently increased, with USD 24.8 billion allocated in the 2024 budget. In terms of geographic funding, the US remains a leader in space tech startup funding, although it has seen a decline from USD 5.5 billion in 2021 to USD 660 million in 2024.

Europe, on the other hand, has seen increased funding in its space tech sector, with USD 407 million raised in 2024 to date, following a record USD 512 million in 2023. The UK, while experiencing fluctuations in funding, shows signs of recovery with USD 135 million raised in 2024 to date. Similarly, the UK has invested €50 million in its Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) sector since 2017, employing a hybrid model that leverages private technologies for space missions.

India's Potential

In recent years, the European Space Agency (ESA) has shifted to a competition-based model, inviting more private players to develop and launch space missions. This strategic shift, driven by a series of delays and failures in rocket launches, aims to attract private investment and boost entrepreneurship in the region. Despite the existence of the ESA, countries like Germany, Italy, and France maintain their space research agencies, working in collaboration with the ESA. The ESA's budget for 2024 is USD 8.3 billion, a 10 per cent increase from the previous year, with significant contributions from Germany, France, and Italy. A major portion of this budget is allocated to Earth Observation operations (30 per cent), followed by space transportation and navigation.

India's Space Tech sector is also growing rapidly, fueled by government support and a dynamic startup ecosystem. Significant funding and strategic investments are positioning India to become a major player in the global space industry, with expectations of attracting more investment and sparking further innovation.