By 2030, every millennial must have dreamt of a world filled with flying cars, space travel, and colonies on Mars. For most, those dreams remained in the realm of science fiction but a few decided to turn them into reality. Today, some of those dreamers are building India’s next big space story.
Once seen as the exclusive domain of ISRO and government agencies, the cosmos is now buzzing with a new generation of private pioneers — engineers and entrepreneurs, who believe space should be as accessible as the internet once became. Among them is Rupesh Gandupalli, co-founder and CEO of XDLINX Space Labs, who’s quietly redefining what it means to build for the final frontier.
An alumnus of NIT Warangal, Rupesh’s journey took him through global giants like Apple, Planet Labs, and Applied Materials — experiences that shaped his belief that space innovation doesn’t have to come with astronomical costs. That conviction led to the birth of XDLINX, a Hyderabad-based company designing and building satellites that are 75% indigenous, cost-effective, and built for speed.
What makes XDLINX stand out in India’s growing space-tech orbit isn’t just its engineering brilliance but its unique ‘Mission-as-a-Service’ model — where clients don’t need to understand rocket science to reach space. From design to launch, XDLINX handles it all, offering fully configurable, ready-to-fly satellites for governments, startups, and defence organisations. In just a few years, the company has built JANUS-1, one of India’s largest nanosatellites, and is now working on next-generation missions — from Earth observation constellations to deep-space ventures.
In a conversation with CE, Rupesh gives us an overview of XDLINX Space Labs, its journey, and how India is quietly scripting a new chapter in private space exploration.
Excerpts
What inspired you to start XDLINX?
I started XDLINX with the vision of making space more accessible and cost-effective while enabling nations to build their sovereign space capabilities. With satellites built using 75% indigenous subsystems, we are driving affordable, high-performance solutions that empower organisations and countries to achieve their ambitions in space.
Tell us about the operations of XDLINX.
XDLINX designs, builds, and operates small satellites. Through our ‘Mission-as-a-Service’ model, we take care of the entire mission lifecycle — from design, supply chain, build, and integration to space qualification and mission operations. By providing tools, solutions, and ideas that empower nations, individuals, and organisations to realise their beyond-Earth vision, we enable ambitious space missions. This matters now because more nations and organisations are seeking satellite-based solutions but often lack in-house resources or expertise. By offering a faster, more affordable, and reliable path to space, XDLINX helps them pursue goals ranging from national sovereignty to deep-space discoveries.
Who are your collaborators and why would they choose you instead of ISRO or others?
We collaborate with a mix of government entities, organisations, and startups. Our value lies in offering end-to-end, ready-to-launch, fully configurable satellite solutions. While large agencies like ISRO serve national missions, XDLINX offers agility, speed, and cost-effectiveness, making us the preferred partner for organisations seeking to achieve ambitious space missions — from global sovereignty to deep-space exploration.
You built JANUS-1 in just 10 months. What’s your unique edge compared to the bigger players?
JANUS-1 is a software-defined 6U technology demonstrator satellite built for our customer Antaris (US). It is one of the largest nanosatellites built in India to date. Developed collaboratively with Antaris (US) and Ananth Technologies, it was completed in a record time of 10 months — significantly reducing both cost and time to orbit — and launched aboard ISRO’s SSLV-D2 rocket on February 10, 2023. The satellite was designed to demonstrate multi-tenancy payload capabilities. What made it unique was our ability to integrate global expertise with local frugal engineering. By developing subsystems like solar panels, power supply, and communication units locally, and integrating an advanced Attitude Determination and Control System (ADCS), we dramatically reduced costs while maintaining global standards.
What are your upcoming projects?
We are currently building a 160-kg microsatellite for our customer GalaxEye and a constellation of EO microsatellites for a sovereign nation. Several upcoming satellite projects are planned through 2027, spanning hosted payload missions and high-resolution imaging — reflecting our mission to make space more accessible and versatile for a wide range of applications. We have also signed several MoUs with global customers. Additionally, we are partnering with Nodeflux to develop a Sovereign Low Earth Orbit ISR satellite mission, Sisir Radar to build India’s first private L-band SAR satellite, and Exlabs to jointly develop spacecraft subsystems and scalable space infrastructure extending from LEO to deep space.
How big is your team and what kinds of expertise are shaping the company?
XDLINX has a team of over 150 professionals, combining experienced and emerging talent with expertise in mission planning and design, simulation, space-grade testing, avionics, power subsystems, communications, structural and thermal engineering, propulsion, and software development. This in-house diversity ensures quality, speed, and cost-effectiveness — allowing us to design, build, qualify, and operate satellites from concept to launch and beyond.
When you look at the small satellite market, how big is the opportunity, and where do you see XDLINX fitting in?
According to Fortune Business Insights, the global small satellite market was valued at USD 11.41 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow to USD 19.67 billion by 2032. As a ‘Mission-as-a-Service’ provider, XDLINX Space Labs offers end-to-end, ready-to-launch, fully configurable satellite solutions to meet the growing demand for sovereign and secure space-based capabilities. We also provide spacecraft platforms and payload technologies for global commercial and defense missions — helping nations build sovereign space programmes and enabling organisations to achieve their beyond-Earth vision.
Are projects like Elevation-1, XDSAT-M600, and your SAR partnership already generating revenue?
At XDLINX, we provide satellite buses to our customers, who then own and operate the satellites. Elevation-1 is a tech demonstration satellite with strong revenue potential through E-band communication. The Drishti mission, being built for GalaxEye using XDSAT-M600, is also expected to generate significant revenue. Similarly, our SAR partnership with Sisir Radar, featuring L-band SAR, has a strong demand for data and can generate substantial revenue.
How do you see XDLINX standing against global space companies and what’s your global play?
Planet Labs and Satellogic focus largely on imagery-as-a-service. XDLINX differentiates itself by providing end-to-end Mission-as-a-Service — not just data, but fully configurable satellites. We’re not competing with imagery providers; instead, we empower nations and organisations to own their satellites and control their data. With our presence in India, the USA, and the UK, and a focus on serving clients globally, our mission is to build affordable, high-performance solutions that empower organisations and countries to achieve their ambitions in space.
Looking five years ahead, do you see yourself mainly as satellite builders, service providers, or eventually a company selling data and defence solutions from space?
We have plans for both the short and long term. In the short term, we’re focused on building robust, affordable satellite platforms for various use cases and providing sovereign capabilities globally. Looking ahead, we aim to partner with multiple agencies to provide complete end-to-end solutions, including service provision. One of our main focus areas will be to build communication satellites in multiple orbits — LEO, MEO, and GEO.
While defence will be our primary customer initially, we believe the scenario will evolve as satellites become more affordable and civilian use cases emerge — much like GPS and mobile mapping once did. Currently, satellite data and services have limited penetration in domains such as agriculture, infrastructure, disaster management, communications, forestry, water resources, and mining. As data becomes more readily available, it will open the door to broader use and a host of novel applications.
