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Adelaide's Space Machines Company strikes deal with India for next satellite launch

The startup is part of a growing space diplomacy movement between Australia and India.

Daniel Van Boom
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Sopace Machines Company's Optimus satellite is designed to extend the lifespan of satellites already in orbit. Space Machines Company.

Space Machines Company, an Australian startup that bills itself as “roadside assistance for space”, has struck a deal with India to launch its next satellite in 2026.

Its first satellite, Optimus, launched in March onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9. The sequel to Optimus will be bigger and heavier, and will be the sole cargo taken into space by a rocket from NewSpace India, the government-operated commercial arm of India’s space agency.

The partnership is significant not only for the startup but for Australia and India, which are ramping up collaboration on interstellar matters, said founder and CEO Rajat Kulshrestha.

Without naming China specifically, Kulshrestha noted the partnership had a geopolitical dimension in addition to its commercial and scientific opportunities.