India, July 20 -- Spacetech startup Cosmoserve reported a partial success for its maiden Mission Embrace, saying its soft robotic capture system generated valuable in-orbit test data despite its robotic petals failing to deploy as intended aboard Skyroot's Vikram-1 launch vehicle.

The Hyderabad-based startup is developing a soft robotic capture system for active debris removal (ADR), a technology aimed at capturing defunct satellites and other pieces of space debris orbiting the Earth. Unlike conventional rigid capture mechanisms, Cosmoserve's system uses flexible robotic petals designed to gently envelop and secure irregular or tumbling objects, making them easier to capture for removal or in-orbit servicing.

Active debris removal has ...