What factors contribute to the successful deorbiting of satellites after circling the Earth 15,000 times?

Hyderabad-Based Dhruva Space’s Successful Mission: Thybolt-1 and Thybolt-2 Satellites Deorbit Securely After 15,000 Earth Orbits

Hyderabad’s leading space tech startup, Dhruva Space, celebrated the successful and secure deorbiting of its maiden mission comprising the Thybolt-1 and Thybolt-2 satellites. These satellites completed an impressive 15,000 orbits around the Earth.

Launched aboard ISRO’s PSLV C54 in November 2022, the Thybolt satellites featured a Store-and-Forward payload, designed to receive messages from sensor nodes or remote ground stations.

Built on Dhruva Space’s P-DoT platform, one of three satellite platforms developed by the company, the Thybolt satellites underscore the startup’s innovative capabilities. The P-DoT platform supports picosatellites (weighing 1-24kg), while the P30 platform supports nanosatellites (weighing 1-30kg), and the P90 platform accommodates satellites up to 300kg. Notably, these satellites were entirely developed in Hyderabad with the support of around 20 MSMEs.

Sanjay Nekkanti, CEO of Dhruva Space, praised his team’s achievements, emphasizing that the in-house developed P-DoT platform has significantly advanced research, constellation development, and versatile applications for customers.

Nekkanti shared exciting upcoming projects, including the establishment of a 280,000 sq-ft spacecraft manufacturing facility and the imminent LEAP-1 mission, utilizing Dhruva Space’s 30kg nanosatellite platform.

Dhruva Space’s P-30 nanosatellite has achieved space qualification via ISRO’s PSLV C58 POEM-3, during the LEAP-TD mission on January 1, 2024. This milestone paves the way for the startup’s first hosted payload mission, LEAP-1, set to launch later this year aboard ISRO’s PSLV.

Founded 12 years ago by Nekkanti, Krishna Teja Penamakuru, Abhay Egoor, and Chaitanya Dora Supureddy, Dhruva Space creates versatile satellite platforms that can launch from any rocket, equipped with any payload, and operated from ground stations worldwide.

In April, Dhruva Space raised approximately $9.3 million (Rs 78 crore) from investors including Indian Angel Network Alpha Fund and Blue Ashva Capital, boosting its Series A funding to around $14 million (Rs 123 crore). This fundraising aligns with significant government policies encouraging private sector participation in space, reflecting the growing value of India’s space economy, which IN-SPACe estimates will reach $44 billion by 2023.

The newly raised funds will support the development of Dhruva Space’s 280,000 sq-ft satellite manufacturing facility in Hyderabad, driving acquisitions and enhancing product offerings.