Hyderabad-based space-tech startup TakeMe2Space is preparing to take India’s data centre ambitions beyond Earth. The company plans to launch two 100-kg satellites aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 in late 2028, creating what it describes as India’s first networked orbital data centre.
The two satellites will fly as part of the Waymaker 2 rideshare mission, under a launch service agreement with Paris-based RIDE! space. Together, they are expected to form part of a planned six-satellite constellation designed to process and analyse data in orbit rather than sending large volumes of raw information back to Earth. The mission marks a shift from using satellites mainly to collect data towards using them as distributed computing platforms in space.
TakeMe2Space’s orbital data centre plan
Each of the two satellites will generate around 1.5 kW of power and carry 10 Nvidia Thor GPUs and 100 TB of onboard storage. They will also be equipped with a multispectral imager capable of around 1-metre ground sampling.
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The key difference is how the satellites will work together. Optical inter-satellite links will allow the two spacecraft to exchange data and workloads. Instead of operating as two independent satellites, the mission will test whether they can function as a networked computing system in orbit.
TakeMe2Space founder and CEO Ronak Kumar Samantray described the combination of computing power, imaging and laser-based links as the smallest configuration of an orbital data centre that can operate as an integrated system.
The satellites will be placed in a roughly 500-km sun-synchronous orbit through the Waymaker 2 rideshare programme. RIDE! space has secured the launch capacity and will manage the mission for TakeMe2Space.
Why put computing power in space?
A satellite can collect considerably more information than it can transmit to the ground. This makes downlink capacity and communication time an important limitation, particularly for high-resolution Earth-observation missions. TakeMe2Space’s approach is to process the information while it is still in orbit.
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Its OrbitLab platform is designed to run computing and AI workloads on the spacecraft. Instead of transmitting complete image files to a ground station, the system can analyse the imagery and send back the information a customer actually needs.
For example, an Earth-observation customer could request a flood-extent map, ship count or crop-stress analysis rather than downloading the entire set of raw images. This can reduce the volume of data that needs to be transmitted and potentially shorten the time between collection and analysis. The planned mission will therefore test applications including near-real-time analytics, intelligent image processing, data reduction and selective downlinking.
From one satellite to a distributed computer in orbit
TakeMe2Space’s move towards a networked orbital data centre follows several earlier missions. Its first mission, MOI-TD (Technology Demonstrator), launched on December 30, 2024 and conducted more than 20 experiments in low Earth orbit. The company used the mission to demonstrate technologies including uploading applications, running AI inference in orbit and downloading processed results.
Its subsequent MOI-1 satellite was lost in the PSLV-C62 launch failure in January 2026. The setback was followed by plans for MOI-1a and MOI-1b, which form the next steps in the company’s orbital computing programme.
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MOI-1a is scheduled to launch on October 1, 2026, aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-18 rideshare mission. The satellite is a smaller, sub-50-kg spacecraft carrying Nvidia Orin NX edge-computing processors. Reuters reported that TakeMe2Space has signed 23 customers for the mission, including organisations working in areas such as agriculture, mining, supply-chain management and insurance.
The company has also said that MOI-1b is planned for 2026. The 2028 Waymaker 2 satellites represent a larger step. Rather than demonstrating computing on a single spacecraft, the mission is designed to demonstrate computing across multiple spacecraft.
Nvidia GPUs and 100 TB of storage per satellite
The computing architecture is central to TakeMe2Space’s orbital data-centre strategy. Each 100-kg spacecraft will carry 10 Nvidia Thor GPUs, 100 TB of storage and the power infrastructure needed to operate computing workloads in orbit. Thermal management systems will also be required to handle the heat generated by the onboard electronics.
The optical links between the spacecraft are equally important. They are intended to allow data and workloads to move between the satellites at high speed, creating a distributed computing layer rather than two isolated processing systems.
TakeMe2Space plans to eventually scale this architecture into a six-satellite constellation. Business Standard reported that the company’s longer-term roadmap includes an orbital computing system capable of around 5 kW of compute capacity, with a future target of a 50-kW orbital data centre.
Silicon solar cells to reduce satellite costs
The company is also taking a different approach to satellite power systems. The Waymaker 2 satellites will use silicon solar cells instead of the gallium arsenide (GaAs) cells commonly used in spacecraft.
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Silicon cells are significantly cheaper, and TakeMe2Space expects the choice to reduce the overall cost of its satellites. Lower spacecraft costs could, in turn, make orbital computing services more accessible to customers.
The company is also developing a number of satellite subsystems in India. Its work includes power systems, attitude-control components and other spacecraft technologies. Reuters reported that TakeMe2Space designs and manufactures most of its satellite subsystems domestically, while sourcing components such as chips, solar cells and propulsion systems externally.
Indian-built precision control and StarSense
The 2028 mission will also test the company’s precision attitude-control capabilities. TakeMe2Space says its attitude determination and control architecture has been designed in India and incorporates domestically developed reaction wheels, star trackers and fine sun sensors.
This includes its StarSense star tracker, introduced in June with support from the IN-SPACe Technology Adoption Fund. Accurate pointing is important for both the satellite’s imaging system and its future computing applications. The spacecraft needs to maintain the right orientation for Earth observation while also supporting the requirements of a more complex orbital computing platform.
A growing race to put data centres in space
TakeMe2Space’s plans come as several major technology companies and space startups explore the idea of moving computing infrastructure beyond Earth. US-based Starcloud flew an Nvidia H100 GPU in space in November 2025, while Google has announced plans for prototype Project Suncatcher satellites with Planet Labs. Much of the early work has focused on putting powerful processors aboard individual spacecraft.
TakeMe2Space’s approach is different in one important respect: the 2028 mission is intended to test multiple spacecraft operating as a single computing network.
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The commercial case is also tied to the economics of moving data. Reuters reported that TakeMe2Space sees potential demand from customers that currently pay to download large amounts of raw satellite data and then process it on the ground. If some of that processing happens in orbit, customers could receive the required analysis without transferring the entire dataset.
The company is also exploring cold storage in orbit for critical data, with financial services and defence among the potential customer segments identified by Reuters.
What comes next for TakeMe2Space?
The immediate milestone is MOI-1a, scheduled for launch on October 1, 2026. That mission will provide another test of TakeMe2Space’s approach to edge computing in orbit.
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The company then plans to move towards larger spacecraft and eventually a six-satellite orbital data-centre constellation. If the Waymaker 2 mission goes ahead as planned in 2028, its significance will extend beyond putting more computing hardware into orbit. The central question will be whether satellites can work together as a distributed computing infrastructure, processing data where it is created and sending only useful results back to Earth.
For TakeMe2Space, that is the step from demonstrating that computing can happen in space to testing whether an orbital data centre can operate as a practical network.
Indrani Priyadarshini is a journalist and editorial professional specialising in technology, artificial intelligence, smart cities, green energy, and digital transformation. With over four years of experience in tech journalism and digital media, she is known for turning complex industry developments into clear, engaging, and insightful stories. Her expertise spans reporting, editorial strategy, digital publishing workflows, and in-depth coverage of emerging technologies shaping the future.
