Hyderabad gets India's first private space debris removal facility
Cosmoserve Space has unveiled Base 1 in Hyderabad, described as India's first private facility for space debris removal and satellite servicing, and the world's sixth of its kind.
Cosmoserve Space unveiled Base 1 in Hyderabad on 5 November 2026, a facility described as India's first private space debris removal and satellite servicing facility. It will develop technologies to capture defunct satellites, repair and refuel satellites in orbit, and test robotic capture systems ahead of a full-scale debris capture demonstration planned for 2027.
Base 1 opens in Hyderabad
Cosmoserve Space, a Hyderabad-based space technology startup, unveiled Base 1 on Thursday, 5 November 2026, a facility described as India's first private space debris removal facility and the world's sixth facility equipped with space vision effect and microgravity simulation. The facility was inaugurated by Telangana IT and Industries Minister D. Sridhar Babu, Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh, and Cosmoserve Space founder and chief executive Chiranjeevi Phanindra.
Base 1 brings the infrastructure needed to design, build, test and operate satellite servicing and space debris recovery missions under one roof. The facility follows a USD 6 million seed funding round for Cosmoserve, taking the company's total funding to more than USD 9 million. Sridhar Babu said facilities like Base 1 showed why Hyderabad was leading the country in space innovation, and that the state was planning an exclusive Space City within the upcoming Bharat Future City.
What the facility does
Base 1 houses four key units: an Orbital Rendezvous and Capture Lab to simulate spacecraft capture operations, a Space Robotics Innovation Lab to develop robotic capture systems, an ISO Class 8 clean room for satellite integration, and a Mission Simulation and Control Centre to manage upcoming missions. Beyond removing space debris, the facility will support satellite servicing, including in-orbit repairs and refuelling, and the removal of inactive satellites from orbit.
Cosmoserve is developing a dual-spacecraft approach in which a larger Orbital Service Station acts as an in-space logistics hub carrying fuel, equipment and spare parts, while a smaller Autonomous Service Vehicle travels to multiple satellites to capture, dock with, diagnose, repair or remove them. The company says the architecture is designed to enable two spacecraft to service up to 100 satellites, and could bring servicing costs down from around USD 10 million to below USD 1 million per satellite. The company also says it currently sources close to 60 per cent of its mission components locally.
In July 2026, Cosmoserve flew its first payload, Mission Embrace, aboard Skyroot Aerospace's Vikram-1 rocket. Its upcoming milestones include testing robotic capture systems in microgravity flights, re-flying Mission Embrace and conducting a full-scale space debris capture demonstration in 2027. The company plans its next technology demonstration mission by mid-2027, its first commercial mission in early 2028, and commercial operations by mid-2028.
Why space debris matters
Space debris has emerged as a major concern, with thousands of inactive satellites and millions of smaller fragments orbiting Earth, posing risks to operational satellites and future missions. Business Standard reported that of around 28,000 satellites in orbit, nearly 10,000 are dead or non-operational, and that Earth's orbit holds an estimated 68,000 debris objects smaller than 10 cm, 1.5 million fragments measuring 1-2 cm, and nearly 230 million tiny pieces ranging from 1 mm to 1 cm.
Phanindra said debris was becoming the limiting factor for every nation's space ambitions, including India's, and that Base 1 was where the company would build the capability to keep orbits usable for Gaganyaan, the Bharatiya Antariksh Station and every satellite that follows. Singh said India was emerging among the early global pioneers in space debris removal, with an Indian startup advancing technologies to make outer space safer and more sustainable.
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Frequently asked questions
What is Base 1 in Hyderabad?
Base 1 is Cosmoserve Space's new facility in Hyderabad, described as India's first private space debris removal and satellite servicing facility. It brings together labs for rendezvous and capture simulation, space robotics, satellite integration and mission control under one roof.
What will the facility be used for?
It will develop technologies to remove defunct satellites and debris from orbit, and to service satellites in orbit, including repairs and refuelling. Cosmoserve plans a full-scale debris capture demonstration in 2027.
Why is space debris a problem?
Inactive satellites and fragments travelling at high speeds can collide with working satellites and spacecraft. Business Standard reported that nearly 10,000 of around 28,000 satellites in orbit are dead or non-operational, alongside millions of smaller debris fragments.