Hyderabad — A young space-tech entrepreneur from Hyderabad is making waves with plans to revolutionize in-space transport through his startup, Stardour Aerospace. Founded by 26-year-old Sankarsh Chanda, Stardour is developing Lucas, India’s first orbital transfer vehicle (OTV), which aims to maneuver satellites between orbits, refuel them, and decommission space debris.
Lucas is scheduled to make its maiden flight in the third quarter of 2027. The vehicle’s role will be akin to a “taxi in space” — it will pick up satellites delivered to preliminary orbits and transport them to their precise operational orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), Geostationary Orbit (GEO), or even farther missions including lunar and Mars trajectories.
One of Stardour’s notable milestones so far is the successful test-firing of India’s first in-house hydrogen-oxygen propulsion engine. This engine was developed entirely by Stardour and tested at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bangalore. The green propellant combination marks a shift towards more sustainable propulsion technology in Indian private space tech.
Sankarsh Chanda, who started his journey investing in equities when he was 14 and launched an investment advisory firm by his late teens, emphasizes that his stock-market earnings fund his space ambitions. Despite early success in financial ventures, his long-held passion has always been aerospace and orbital technology.
The Lucas project is not just about moving satellites. It also includes provisions for extending satellite lifespans, deorbiting defunct spacecraft, and reducing space junk — a growing concern in the global space community. Chanda explained that Lucas would be equipped to “refuel satellites, extend their life, and bring them back for deorbiting, reducing accumulation of debris.”
The estimated cost of Lucas’ first mission is around ₹80 crore, though Chanda claims follow-up missions will come at lower costs due to scaling advantages and streaming down technology development. His leadership is supported by former ISRO scientist B. Rama Rao, who serves as Director of Stardour. Rao brings over three decades of experience in space R&D operations, boosting credibility and technical direction for the startup.
Stardour Aerospace is currently operating in “stealth mode,” with most of its work under wraps. But with propulsion breakthroughs and a fully sketched roadmap, the startup is positioning itself at the forefront of India’s nascent private space economy. Lucas promises to fill crucial gaps in orbital logistics, enabling more flexible satellite deployment and contributing toward a cleaner orbital environment through active space debris management.