Hyderabad-based spacetech startup Dhruva Space and Finland’s ICEYE, which works on satellite imagery, have signed an MoU to explore collaboration across satellite manufacturing, space systems production, Earth observation (EO) services, disaster management solutions, and ground segment infrastructure.
Announced at Bharat Innovates 2026, the partnership will combine Dhruva’s spacecraft engineering, manufacturing, launch integration, and ground station capabilities with ICEYE’s synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite constellation and EO expertise.
The companies said they will assess opportunities in India and overseas markets on a project-by-project basis.
Sanjay Nekkanti, Co-founder and CEO of Dhruva Space, said the partnership combines the strengths of both companies across manufacturing, space systems, data delivery and applications.
“Partnerships such as these will be instrumental in scaling sovereign capabilities, strengthening supply chains, and delivering space-enabled solutions to customers around the world,” he noted in a statement.
Under the agreement, the companies will evaluate large-scale production of space components and subsystems from India, leveraging Dhruva Space’s manufacturing capabilities and its upcoming 280,000 sq ft assembly, integration and testing (AIT) facility.
Once operational, the facility is expected to support scalable production of space hardware and serve ICEYE’s global manufacturing requirements from India.
They will also explore the joint development and manufacturing of satellite buses and other space systems for domestic and international programmes. They plan to expand access to EO data and analytics in India. Through Dhruva Space’s AstraView platform, customers will gain access to ICEYE’s SAR constellation, enabling all-weather imaging services for government and commercial users.
The partnership will further examine applications in disaster management, agriculture, maritime monitoring and climate monitoring. The companies will also assess the use of Dhruva Space’s ground station network to improve data accessibility, speed up downlink capabilities and develop ground-station-as-a-service offerings.
Rafal Modrzewski, Co-founder and CEO of ICEYE, said India is an important market for EO and sovereign space capabilities.
“Through this collaboration with Dhruva Space, we look forward to exploring opportunities that combine local manufacturing, rapid data access, and innovative applications for customers across sectors,” Modrzewski said.
The companies said the collaboration aims to support India’s space ecosystem while serving global markets through manufacturing, infrastructure, data, and application-focused opportunities.
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