Cosmoserve Says Soft Robotic Capture Demo Gathered Key Data Despite Glitch

Spacetech startup Cosmoserve reported a partial success for its maiden Mission Embrace, saying its soft robotic capture system generated valuable in-orbit test data despite its robotic petals failing to deploy as intended aboard Skyroot’s Vikram-1 launch vehicle.  

The Hyderabad-based startup is developing a soft robotic capture system for active debris removal (ADR), a technology aimed at capturing defunct satellites and other pieces of space debris orbiting the Earth. Unlike conventional rigid capture mechanisms, Cosmoserve’s system uses flexible robotic petals designed to gently envelop and secure irregular or tumbling objects, making them easier to capture for removal or in-orbit servicing.

Active debris removal has emerged as a key focus area for the global space industry as the number of defunct satellites and orbital debris continues to rise, increasing collision risks for operational spacecraft. Cosmoserve aims to make debris removal more affordable through its soft robotic capture technology.

According to the startup, Mission Embrace was successfully launched aboard Vikram-1, with the soft robotic capture system withstanding all launch conditions. It added that major systems, including the actuation system and onboard software, functioned as expected.

However, the robotic petals, which were designed to open and capture objects in orbit, did not deploy as intended.

“The robotic petals, which were supposed to open, could not do so due to an unusual settling of the petals, which might have been caused by a combination of extreme space conditions. Based on detailed studies, necessary architectural changes will be adopted in the next version of the soft robotic petal software,” founder and CEO Chiranjeevi Phanindra said.

Cosmoserve was among the spacetech startups that flew technology demonstration payloads aboard Vikram-1, which successfully entered orbit on Saturday (July 18).

Despite the deployment glitch, the startup said the test flight generated significant data to validate the system, insights that could not have been obtained through ground-based testing.

“If we were to build an entire satellite to test the system, it would cost $3 Mn to $5 Mn. Through this mission, we obtained the required test data at less than $100K, making it nearly 50 times more cost-effective,” Phanindra said in a statement.

The startup said the data collected during Mission Embrace will be used to refine the technology and support the development of future debris-removal spacecraft designed to make in-orbit debris removal cheaper.

Founded in 2025 by former ISRO scientist Phanindra, Cosmoserve claims to have developed the technology from concept to flight-ready hardware in just four months. It raised $3.17 Mn in a pre-seed funding round led by angel investor Alan Rutledge through US-based investment firm AVCF in September last year.

Skyroot Creates History 

Skyroot created history over the weekend after Vikram-1 became the first privately developed Indian rocket to successfully place payloads into orbit. The mission completed all major flight events, including stage separations and orbital insertion, while deploying customer payloads and experiments into the intended 450-km low-Earth orbit.

Apart from Cosmoserve’s technology demonstration, Vikram-1 also carried payloads from spacetech companies Grahaa Space and DCubed, along with Skyroot’s own SCOPE.

Following the successful maiden mission, Skyroot plans up to two more Vikram-1 launches this year before introducing Vikram-1U, an upgraded version with strap-on boosters, in the first quarter of 2027. Simultaneously, it is also developing Vikram-2, a one-tonne-class launch vehicle powered by a cryogenic upper stage, as it expands its launch vehicle portfolio.

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