India, Sept. 25 -- In June 2026, three spacetech startups became the first cohort to receive funds selected under the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre's (IN-SPACe) Technology Adoption Fund's (TAF) Rs.500 Cr scheme. Bengaluru-based Astrobase Technologies was selected along with SatSure Analytics and TakeMe2Space, and got the backing despite being just two years old at the time.

For Neeraj Khandelwal and Devakumar Thammisetty, founders of Astrobase, this milestone was a vindication of their passion for space tech. Classmates at IIT Bombay, the duo's career paths diverged soon after graduation, before converging for Astrobase.

Thammisetty spent 13 years at ISRO, where he worked on cryogenic engines. He also contribu...