Long before N SPACE TECH came into being, a simple yet profound question sparked its foundation — how do invisible radio waves carry data across the vacuum of space? For Divya Kothamasu, this early curiosity, shaped by watching ISRO rocket launches as a child, grew into a lifelong pursuit of understanding and innovation. Founded in December 2020, N SPACE TECH has since evolved into a dynamic aerospace and defence startup, focused on the design and development of CubeSats (CubeSats are miniature, standardized satellites used for cost-effective, low-Earth orbit (LEO) space exploration, research, and technology demonstrations), payloads, ground stations, and small satellites. Over time, the company has expanded into delivering advanced RF subsystems, high-performance power amplifiers across HF to Ka-band, radars, broadband antennas, and phased-array systems. Headquartered in Hyderabad, the company has grown from a two-member initiative into a 40-member team, working closely with organisations such as ISRO, DRDO, BDL, BEL, NARL, and CDAC, while continuing to build innovative, cost-effective, and largely indigenised solutions for space and defence applications. In an exclusive interaction with CE, Divya takes us through her inclination towards space and defence sector, specialising defence technology and more
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What attracted you to the space and defence sector?
I completed my master’s in communication and radar systems. During that time, I attended multiple workshops, including one on CubeSats, which really influenced me. I had an interest in space from my early years, but it was not clearly defined. That workshop helped me narrow down my focus. I started with CubeSats and then identified gaps in communication modules within the aerospace industry.
What gap in India’s aerospace and defence ecosystem were you trying to fill when you founded N SPACE TECH in 2020?
Initially, we started with space, not with defence, but now the majority of our contracts are from defence. When I started, I focused on small satellites — nano satellites, to be specific. At that time, there were not many CubeSat-making companies in India. Most companies were either importing CubeSat subsystems or charging very high amounts, especially for students.
So the problem was that either the systems were not made in India, or they were very expensive. I wanted to enter that space and solve this issue. We began manufacturing all subsystems in India — from design to assembly to testing. We tested our subsystems through ISRO’s PSLV POEM C60 Platform 2.
How did your early vision evolve into the multi-domain RF and space systems company you are today?
CubeSats are mostly used by students or companies, and even the images captured are sold to other companies. But when it comes to national importance, I wanted to do something that contributes to aerospace and defence in India, including organisations like ISRO, BDL, and BEL.
I also observed that many communication modules were being imported. Although a few companies have been working in this space for decades, they are unable to meet the demand of these organisations. Their capacities are full, so government organisations still depend on imports. Since I was already in this space, I wanted to expand into multiple domains to serve these organisations in some way.
What were some of the toughest challenges you faced in the initial phase?
The toughest challenge was passing qualification tests. Initially, we were new in this space, and I had no prior experience working in aerospace or defense organisations.
This industry is very tough because if we want to sell our products to defence or aerospace companies, passing their qualification tests is extremely difficult. Even a small mishap can cause major issues in their systems.
So our products had to be nearly perfect. Since I was new, understanding how everything worked itself was a big challenge. Later, we hired experts from multiple domains — RF, antennas, mechanical — with two to three decades of experience, and now things are more settled.
From CubeSats to phased array systems, your portfolio spans a wide spectrum. How do you prioritise innovation across such diverse technologies?
We started with CubeSats, then moved into RF modules and antennas. Now, we are working across the entire communication system — from antennas to RF amplifiers to upconverters.
Our priority is to eventually reach system-level development. All the modules we are building now are part of a larger system. Our goal is to achieve end-to-end communication systems in the future, and that is how we decide what products to develop now.
Could you walk us through a breakthrough moment or milestone in your journey?
A major milestone was participating in PSLV C60. It was very challenging because our CubeSat model had to pass multiple tests — EMA, EMC, shock, thermal, and vibration tests.
After passing all these, we were unsure if we could establish communication between the payload and our ground station. But in the very first attempt, our UHF communication module successfully communicated with the ground station.
It also connected with the ISTRAC ground station, since we had support from ISRO. Both our ground station and ISRO’s ground station received the signal. Achieving this in our first mission and first attempt was a significant milestone.
How are you making payloads more cost-effective without compromising performance?
We handle design, development, testing, and assembly in-house. For PCB fabrication, CNC machining, and chassis, we outsource—but within India.
Since we have our own design and testing teams and equipment, we are able to significantly reduce costs. However, we still need to import chips, as they are not manufactured in India. That is the only limitation.
We have achieved around 60–70% Make in India. By managing everything in-house, we maintain both cost efficiency and quality.
How do you see India’s private space sector evolving, especially after the ecosystem opened up?
The government is providing strong support through initiatives like IN-SPACe, Make One, Make Two, and iDEX challenges. These have helped many companies start generating revenue and encouraged new startups to enter the space.
There are also schemes like SIDBI providing financial support for infrastructure. Additionally, ISRO has opened its testing facilities to private players through IN-SPACe at nominal costs.
For example, we tested our products and communication links through ISRO facilities, which would not have been possible earlier. These developments are making the ecosystem very promising for startups.
What is the roadmap ahead?
Currently, we are working at the module level — antennas and other components — and have completed around 20 orders for organisations like BDL, the Department of Atomic Energy, and ISRO.
Our next goal is to move to end-to-end system-level communication systems. We have developed all modules individually, but not yet integrated them into a complete system. That is our focus for this year.
In the long term, we aim to increase our Make in India percentage from 60–70% to around 95%. Most test equipment and components are currently imported. We plan to enter chip design, starting with fabless chips, and also develop our own testing equipment and power supplies.
So the roadmap is: system-level integration, then test equipment, and then chip design.