N Space Tech’s Bold Rise: 7 Game-Changing Ways It’s Powering India’s Space Dreams

Hyderabad-based N Space Tech India is pioneering indigenous space technology by designing and manufacturing mission-critical satellite subsystems like RF components and antennas entirely in-house. Founded in 2020 by engineer Divya Kothamasu, the company focuses on making space tech accessible for defence, agriculture, and research while reducing import dependence. A landmark achievement was their SwetchaSat-V0 UHF module, launched aboard ISRO’s PSLV in 2024, which survived extreme space conditions using entirely domestic engineering. Beyond hardware, they empower students through affordable educational satellite programs, offering end-to-end CubeSat development and launch support.

Kothamasu emphasizes India’s urgent need to develop core semiconductor and RF technologies—not just assembly—to achieve true sovereignty. With India’s enhanced space-budget focus, N Space Tech is scaling advanced radar systems and RF infrastructure for national agencies. Their quiet progress exemplifies how deep-tech innovation builds sustainable space capability from the ground up, circuit by circuit.

N Space Tech’s Bold Rise: 7 Game-Changing Ways It’s Powering India’s Space Dreams

Forget the hype. While flashy space ventures capture headlines, a Hyderabad-based startup, N Space Tech India, is executing a far quieter revolution. Founded in 2020 by engineer Divya Kothamasu and Raghuram Kothamasu, this deep-tech company isn’t chasing lunar landings or mega-constellations. Instead, it’s mastering the intricate, essential building blocks that make space communication possible – and making them accessible right here in India. 

More Than Just Components: Building the Nervous System of Satellites 

N Space Tech’s domain is the critical, often unseen, infrastructure of space technology: 

• RF Systems & Subsystems: Their in-house expertise spans Low Noise Amplifiers (crucial for receiving faint signals from space), High-Power Amplifiers (for sending commands), Up/Down Converters, Switches, Attenuators, Filters, and more – operating across frequencies from HF to Ka-band. 

• Advanced Antennas: Designing and building specialized antennas (Patch, Vivaldi, Log-Periodic, Horn, Reflect Arrays) tailored for space and defence applications. 

• End-to-End Solutions: Offering design, manufacturing, PCB layout, mechanical design, embedded software, and crucially, ground station operations support. 

Mission: Democratizing the Final Frontier 

Kothamasu articulates a powerful vision: “Our mission is to make satellite and radar technology accessible and affordable.” This isn’t just rhetoric. It manifests in two key ways: 

• Empowering Critical Sectors: By developing indigenous, cost-effective RF and satellite subsystems, N Space Tech enables advancements in defence, agriculture, environmental monitoring, communication, and scientific research – sectors where reliable space tech was often prohibitively expensive or import-dependent. 

• Igniting the Next Generation: Perhaps most inspiring is their dedicated initiative for educational institutions. N Space Tech designs, manufactures, and helps launch small satellites (like CubeSats and nanosatellites) for universities. They provide: 

• In-house payload development (like their UHF modules and sensors). 

• Access to their ground station and specialized test lab in Jubilee Hills. 

• Launch coordination via partners like ISRO or private providers, including balloon-assisted missions for accessible experimentation. 

SwetchaSat-V0: A Milestone Forged in Perseverance 

The successful launch of their UHF communication module on ISRO’s PSLV-C60/POEM-4 mission in December 2024 stands as tangible proof of their capabilities. Kothamasu highlights the intense challenges overcome: 

• The Brutal Space Environment: Ensuring signal integrity against radiation, extreme temperatures (-40°C to +85°C), and vacuum required rigorous in-house testing and innovative shielding solutions. 

• The Shrinking Act: Miniaturizing the module to fit strict POEM-4 size and weight limits demanded ingenious design with high-performance, compact components. 

• Powering the Impossible: Optimizing power consumption was critical due to the platform’s limited energy, requiring bespoke power management solutions. 

• Speaking ISRO’s Language: Achieving seamless compatibility with ISRO’s ISTRAC ground stations demanded precise frequency alignment and data formatting, solved through close collaboration and relentless testing. 

The triumphant moment came on New Year’s Day 2025, when signals from SwetchaSat-V0 were received flawlessly at both ISTRAC and N Space Tech’s own ground station – validating their entirely indigenous technology in orbit. 

The Engine Driving Innovation: Divya Kothamasu’s Vision 

Kothamasu’s journey, sparked by childhood fascination with physics and ISRO, solidified during her Master’s in Communication and Radar Systems. Her leadership challenges stereotypes: “Successes like SwetchaSat helped reinforce that… the focus naturally shifted to the quality of work rather than who was doing it.” She finds deep motivation in inspiring young engineers, especially women, seeing a future where capability is the sole metric. 

Unlocking India’s Deep-Tech Potential: A Call to Action 

Kothamasu identifies crucial needs for the sector to truly flourish: 

• Beyond Funding: Access to advanced labs, streamlined regulatory approvals, and clearer pathways to collaborate with defence/space agencies are vital. 

• Indigenous Core Technology: A decisive shift from assembly to designing and building core components like chips within India is essential to reduce foreign dependence. “It is not just about assembling products in India but about creating the core technology here.” 

Leveraging Momentum and Building the Future 

The Union Budget 2025’s emphasis on R&D and space sector support is a welcome catalyst. N Space Tech plans to harness this to: 

• Accelerate development of their RF systems and antennas. 

• Deepen investment in indigenous design. 

• Scale production to deliver globally competitive, Made-in-India solutions. 

What’s Next? Deepening the RF Foundation 

The immediate roadmap is clear: significant investment in advanced RF design and testing infrastructure. A major upcoming project is an indigenous radar system, adding to their portfolio serving prestigious organizations like DRDO, ISRO, BDL, BEL, NARL, and the Department of Atomic Energy. This phase is about scaling capabilities and cementing expertise in the RF and radar technologies underpinning national security and space exploration. 

The Takeaway: Quiet Power, Loud Impact 

N Space Tech India embodies a different kind of space race – not for spectacle, but for sustainable, foundational capability. By mastering the complex RF backbone of satellites and radars, making space accessible to students, and fiercely advocating for indigenous core technology, they are not just building products; they are building India’s technological sovereignty in the critical realm of space and defence. Divya Kothamasu and her team remind us that sometimes, the most profound disruptions happen not with a bang, but with the steady, determined hum of precision engineering right here on the ground. Their success signals that India’s deep-tech future isn’t just bright; it’s being built, circuit by intricate circuit, in Hyderabad.