At India Today Conclave Mumbai 2026, two startup founders described work spanning satellite surveillance, lunar navigation and future mapping. Kepler Aerospace outlined a planned autonomous satellite-swarm demonstration, while Omnipresent Robot Technologies discussed technology it says supported Chandrayaan-3’s lunar navigation and its ambitions for mapping satellites. Their accounts suggest a wider role for private companies in India’s space programme, though the figures and future capabilities discussed remain claims or plans attributed to the speakers.
What the founders described
India Today’s report, updated October 10, 2026, covered remarks by Navneet Singh, CEO of Kepler Aerospace, and Aakash Sinha, CEO of Omnipresent Robot Technologies. Their examples point to different kinds of startup involvement: one focused on monitoring activity from orbit, the other on navigation technology for a lunar rover and possible future mapping.
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| Company | Work described | Maturity in the report | Intended application |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kepler Aerospace | Autonomous satellites designed to work as a swarm | Development plan for technology-demonstration satellites; the report does not say they have launched | Detecting cellphone and walkie-talkie emissions from orbit for monitoring |
| Omnipresent Robot Technologies | Technology supporting lunar navigation, plus an ambition for 3D mapping satellites | Contribution to Chandrayaan-3 navigation described by Sinha; mapping capability presented as a future ambition | Helping a rover interpret lunar terrain and, potentially, government-oriented mapping |
The comparison is about the examples the founders presented, not a ranking of the companies or their systems.
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Kepler’s proposed satellite swarm
Singh argued that India needs stronger capacity to monitor assets from space. According to India Today, Kepler is developing autonomous satellites intended to coordinate as a swarm and reduce the time needed to collect and process information. The report describes a plan for an initial six technology-demonstration satellites, each around 15 kg, intended primarily to detect cellphone and walkie-talkie emissions from orbit. These are planned spacecraft, not a reported operational service.
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Singh said, “China has over 950 satellites, while we have 16 operational. We are bridging that gap.” India Today attributed both satellite counts to him; they should be read as his statement at the event, not as independently verified totals. The report also attributed to Singh a comparison of roughly eight minutes with around one-and-a-half months, or about 45 days, for monitoring or revisit. It does not define the surveillance domain sufficiently to treat that comparison as a general performance measure.
He cited an orbital period of around 90 minutes as a long-term target for reducing the monitoring gap. That is a stated goal, not a demonstrated revisit rate or service level. India Today’s report on Kepler Aerospace gives the remarks and plans.
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Omnipresent’s lunar-navigation work and mapping ambition
Sinha said Omnipresent Robot Technologies helped develop technology supporting lunar navigation for Chandrayaan-3. The challenge, as described in the report, was enabling the Pragyan rover to interpret lunar terrain. Sinha said the team used basic algorithms rather than advanced AI, citing budget constraints.
He also discussed ambitions for government-oriented 3D mapping satellites with sub-metre resolution. This is a future capability he described, not evidence in the report of an operational satellite or verified mapping performance. India Today’s account of Omnipresent Robot Technologies covers the lunar-navigation contribution and mapping ambition.
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How government support fits into the opportunity
Sinha described improved access for startups to government grants, scientists and officials. He also pointed to the Research, Development and Innovation scheme and government procurement commitments as potential sources of support. The report does not provide eligibility criteria, funding amounts, application procedures or current procurement terms, so it does not establish what a particular startup can access or when.
The remarks nonetheless highlight an important condition for the sector’s growth: private technical work depends not only on building systems, but also on pathways to collaborate with public institutions and secure customers. India Today’s report on the policy remarks describes the support discussed at the conclave.
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What the examples indicate—and what they do not
Together, the founders’ accounts show startups describing roles in both strategic and scientific applications: orbital monitoring, autonomous satellite operations, lunar navigation and prospective mapping. They also illustrate different stages of work, from a reported contribution to a completed rover mission to a satellite demonstration plan and a longer-term mapping ambition.
The event report is evidence of what the founders said and how they framed their work; by itself, it does not independently verify the satellite counts, monitoring comparison, technical performance, launch status, or policy access. The clearest conclusion is that India’s space ambitions are being described not only through government missions, but also through private firms seeking to develop capabilities for public and commercial use.
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