Hyderabad-based space-tech startup TakeMe2Space is set to launch MOI-1A, an orbital computing satellite, aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 as part of the Transporter-18 rideshare mission. The launch is scheduled for October 1, 2026.
Unlike conventional Earth-observation satellites that send large amounts of raw data back to Earth for processing, MOI-1A is designed to perform part of that processing directly in orbit.
The satellite weighs less than 50 kilograms and carries NVIDIA Orin NX edge-computing processors. Customers will be able to upload containerized AI models that can analyse selected Earth-observation data while the satellite is passing over a target area.
Instead of transmitting an entire dataset to the ground, the satellite can send back the processed results, potentially reducing the amount of data that needs to be downloaded and processed on Earth.
TakeMe2Space says it has already signed 23 customers for the mission, including organisations working in agriculture, mining, supply-chain management, insurance and geographic information systems.
The company describes MOI-1A as a step toward its broader goal of building orbital computing infrastructure. Its longer-term plans include a network of satellites capable of processing and analysing data in space.
The mission is also a test of how AI computing hardware can operate in the challenging environment of space, where power, thermal management, radiation and communication bandwidth are important constraints.
If successful, MOI-1A could demonstrate a different approach to satellite data processing: compute first in orbit, then send only the useful information back to Earth.
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