How N Space Tech is Rewiring India’s Space Signals
A wave of young, deep-tech ventures is redefining India’s space sector, thanks to ISRO’s increasing collaboration with startups and IN-SPACe offering institutional support. From propulsion breakthroughs to payload design, Indian entrepreneurs are no longer just service providers, they’re becoming pioneers. This shift comes as space exploration moves beyond national pride into commercial viability, low-earth orbit satellites, and communication systems. But even in this rapidly growing field, very few startups are led by women. That’s where N Space Tech stands out. Divya Kothamasu, the startup’s founder and director, spoke to AIM about the journey and the challenges. From CubeSats to helium balloons, RF systems to rocket launches, and even carrying a baby across state lines to witness a mission, Kothamasu is quietly redefining what a spacetech founder looks like in India. The Origin Story Kothamasu’s journey into spacetech began during her postgraduate studies in communication and radar systems. “As a part of the curriculum, we were introduced to CubeSats and small satellites, and I was very fascinated that such small things can do such big tasks,” she said. She launched N Space Tech in December 2020 from Andhra Pradesh and later moved to Hyderabad’s Jubilee Hills. Initially a one-woman venture, the company now has a 35-member team, including RF engineers, antenna designers, marketing veterans, and a former DRDO director. For Kothamasu, space wasn’t just a career; it was a convergence of lifelong passion and family influence. “My father is the head of the department at one of the engineering colleges, and my in-laws have a business background. My life is a mix of both worlds, maybe.” Challenges Persist Yet, early challenges loomed large. “Infrastructure here is very expensive, and just one spectrum analyser or one network analyser costs a huge amount,” explained Kothamasu. “Infrastructure itself costs crores and crores of rupees.” Recruiting skilled people in RF systems was another uphill task. “The initial challenges were establishing a company where all the skilled people trust us and come to this company,” she said. Attracting the right talent was no small feat in a domain where “the demand is more”, but “there are not many people in the RF field”. On top of that were the financial constraints of being a bootstrapped startup. “We do not want to take any funds from external factors,” she said. The desire to remain self-reliant, while admirable, often tested her limits. “I must say multiple times, not once or twice, I thought of quitting.” Despite these trials, Kothamasu credits her resilience to the unwavering support from her family. Even in terms of testing, the company had to rely on external help in its early days. “Initially, this was a bottleneck for us. We had to rely on companies that have the kind of facilities we required,” she explained. Equipment like signal generators, network and spectrum analysers were initially beyond reach. “Now we have all the equipment, but things like ESS vibration, not yet, since we cannot have them in the centre of the city.” Payloads and Partnerships N Space debuted with a payload launched aboard ISRO’s PSLV-C60 as part of the POEM-4 mission. “We wanted to test our UHF communication module and have some space heritage for some of our subsystems,” Kothamasu said. The mission succeeded on the first attempt. “We received the first communication link on 1st January 2025. Both our ground station and ISRO’s ground station received the signal.” To validate systems before they reach orbit, the company also tested them using high-altitude balloon launches. “To be confident about our systems, we tested our sensor and power modules to see if our payload could survive the actual scenario.” Partnerships with both ISRO and private firms like Skyroot have been crucial. “People from IN-SPACe and ISRO were very cooperative, even in the final integration stage when we faced an issue, they helped us figure it out.” For this startup, the near-term goal is to become profitable. “We have invested almost $1.5 million, and our goal is to turn profitable and then move into full-stack manufacturing, including PCBs and mechanical chassis under one roof.” Life at Launch Altitude As a woman founder in a male-dominated industry, Kothamasu doesn’t shy away from sharing the personal side of her journey. “Some extended family members even told me, ‘Why get into such a difficult field?’” she recounted. When her daughter was just three months old, she brought her along to the launch site in Sriharikota. “I took her along since she was very young then, and again in the most recent launch [POEM-4], she came with me.” Work-life balance, she says, isn’t optional. “Even though you are an entrepreneur, you are also a parent, and once your child grows up, their childhood won’t come back.” Inside N Space Tech, she sets the tone. “Most entrepreneurs say they don’t have work-life balance, but I don’t encourage all-nighters. I tell my team to go home and that they’d do better the next day with a fresh mind.” Her advice to others entering aerospace? “It’s tough, but not undoable, stick with it until you get some profits.” And to women? “Give them a chance to prove whether they can do it. I wish all the women got the kind of support that I did.”
From CubeSats to helium balloons, RF systems to rocket launches, and even carrying a baby across state lines to witness a mission.
From CubeSats to helium balloons, RF systems to rocket launches, and even carrying a baby across state lines to witness a mission.
["N Space", "space exploration", "space startup", "Space Tech", "Startup"]
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