Hyderabad Gets India's First Private Space Debris Removal Facility

Hyderabad has taken another step towards strengthening its position in India's space technology sector with the launch of Base 1, a new facility by Cosmoserve Space aimed at developing technologies to remove space debris and service satellites.

The facility was inaugurated on Thursday by Telangana IT and Industries Minister D Sridhar Babu, Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh, and Cosmoserve Space Founder and CEO Chiranjeevi Phanindra.

Described as India's first private facility of its kind and the world's sixth, Base 1 brings together infrastructure for designing, building and testing satellite servicing systems.

The facility houses four key units, including an Orbital Rendezvous and Capture Lab, a Space Robotics Innovation Lab, a satellite integration clean room, and a Mission Simulation and Control Centre. It will support satellite repairs, refuelling, and the removal of inactive satellites from orbit.

"Facilities like Cosmoserve's Base 1 show exactly why Hyderabad is leading the country in space innovation," said Sridhar Babu. 

He added that Telangana was planning an exclusive Space City within the upcoming Bharat Future City to support the growing space technology sector.

Phanindra said the facility would help the company develop its missions under one roof.

"Debris is becoming the limiting factor for every nation's space ambitions, including India's. Base 1 is where we build the capability to keep orbits usable, for Gaganyaan, the Bharatiya Antariksh Station and every satellite that follows," he said.

Space debris has emerged as a major concern, with thousands of inactive satellites and millions of smaller fragments orbiting Earth. These objects pose risks to operational satellites and future space missions.

Cosmoserve is developing a system that uses two spacecraft to service multiple satellites. The company says the approach could help reduce servicing costs significantly.

The facility comes after Cosmoserve raised USD 6 million in seed funding, taking its total funding to more than USD 9 million.

The company plans to test its robotic capture systems during microgravity flights, repeat its Mission Embrace launch and conduct a full-scale space debris capture demonstration in 2027.

The new facility is expected to strengthen Hyderabad's growing aerospace ecosystem and support India's ambitions in the global space industry.