AWS has launched its first-ever space accelerator program in India, selecting 24 startups from various parts of the country to participate. The AWS Space Accelerator: India is a 14-week technical, business, and mentorship program designed to support space technology startups. This initiative follows a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in 2023 between AWS, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), and the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe), aimed at nurturing the growth of India's space startups.
Among the selected participants are a launch vehicle and sustainable satellite startup from Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, an advanced geospatial analysis startup from Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and a satellite technology-based precision farming startup from Ahmedabad, Gujarat. These startups, along with the others, will receive up to $100,000 in AWS credits and support to scale their solutions.
Clint Crosier, Director of the Aerospace and Satellite business at AWS, stated, "This is the fourth consecutive year that AWS has run a Space Accelerator program, but the first one we’ve tied to one specific country. We chose India because of the extraordinary growth opportunities in its space sector. The record number of new Indian space startups and strong governmental support highlight the potential. We are excited to see the talent and innovation these startups will bring to the program."
The program will offer specialized AWS training, technical expertise, and mentorship from space and technical experts. Additionally, the startups will learn to leverage AWS technologies in Generative AI, Machine Learning, data analytics, and more to build secure and scalable solutions. They will also gain knowledge in go-to-market strategies, fundraising, and business fundamentals, crucial for succeeding in the competitive space tech landscape.
The accelerator is supported by T-Hub, an innovation hub and ecosystem enabler, and Minfy, an AWS Premier Partner. Applications were evaluated based on the uniqueness and innovation of the solutions, product-market fit, creativity in applying AWS technology, and the team's capability to deliver on their vision.
The 2024 cohort comprises startups from diverse space segments including spacecraft propulsion, orbital and launch vehicles, satellite imagery, geospatial applications, weather analysis, and space tourism. The selected startups, listed alphabetically, are:
- Advick Agventure (Ahmedabad, Gujarat)
- AERO2ASTRO (Chennai, Tamil Nadu)
- Aeroin SpaceTech Pvt. Ltd. (Chennai, Tamil Nadu)
- Agnihotri Aerospace (Mangaluru, Karnataka)
- AkashaLabdhi Pvt. Ltd. (Roorkee, Uttarakhand)
- Brahmaandco Spacetech (Mumbai, Maharashtra)
- Blurgs AI (Bengaluru, Karnataka)
- CoralComp Pvt. Ltd. (Hyderabad, Telangana)
- Cosmicport (Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu)
- Cosmo Crawler (Chennai, Tamil Nadu)
- Expanse Cosmos (Delhi)
- GISKernel Technologies Pvt. Ltd. (Pune, Maharashtra)
- Inbound Aerospace (Chennai, Tamil Nadu)
- Insight360.ai (Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands)
- KosmosOne (Suryatola, Maharashtra)
- Omspace Rocket and Exploration (Gandhinagar, Gujarat)
- Onnes Cryogenics Pvt. Ltd. (Hyderabad, Telangana)
- Pramatra Space (Bengaluru, Karnataka)
- Satlabs Space Systems (Bengaluru, Karnataka)
- Sisir Radar (Kolkata, West Bengal)
- Space Aura (Mumbai, Maharashtra)
- SpanTrik (Hyderabad, Telangana)
- Taramandal (Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh)
- Thrustworks Dynetics (Pune, Maharashtra)