Indian space startup TakeMe2Space has launched what it describes as the country’s first orbital computing satellite aboard a SpaceX rocket, seeking to process data in orbit rather than transmit raw information back to Earth.

The company’s MOI-1A spacecraft, a sub-50 kg satellite carrying Nvidia Orin NX edge-computing processors, flew on SpaceX’s Transporter-18 rideshare mission, according to Reuters. The firm said it has signed 23 customers for the mission.

Customers can upload containerised AI models to the satellite, which processes data as it passes over a specified area and transmits only the analysis to Earth, rather than the full dataset, founder and CEO Ronak Samantray told Reuters.

“The reduction in the cost of not downloading it offsets the premium they pay for compute in orbit,” Samantray said. The spacecraft runs on about 150 watts of power.

The same mission carried EON Space Labs’ MIRA imaging system and SatLeo Labs’ TAPAS-1 thermal payload, reported Inc42. TakeMe2Space plans a six-satellite constellation by 2028.