Jay Panchal, co-founder and CEO of the Bengaluru-based startup Aule Space, explains that many private geostationary satellites valued at over $100 billion are in orbit but are being decommissioned due to fuel depletion, despite generating significant revenue.
Panchal notes that extending the lifespan of these satellites allows operators to avoid launching an entirely new craft, which could cost hundreds of millions of dollars.
Aule Space is addressing this issue by creating what is called a 'satellite-jetpack.' This spacecraft docks with the fuel-depleted satellite, remains attached, and provides it with thrust using its own fuel, allowing it to continue operating for several more years.
Earlier this year, the company raised $2 million in a seed funding round led by pi Ventures. Aule Space also participated in the Entrepreneurs First Accelerator Programme and has support from Transpose Platform.
According to Panchal, in just eighteen months, Aule tested its technology on ISRO assets and achieved Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6, using a scale originally developed by NASA. Achieving TRL 9 signifies technology readiness for commercial deployment.
He stated that after a successful orbital docking demonstration next year, the company will reach TRL 9 and begin signing commercial contracts. Manish Singhal, founding partner at pi Ventures, believes Aule will be one of the few global companies to achieve this after a successful launch, and it can do so at a significantly lower cost. Singhal predicts the company could start signing commercial agreements within the next two to three years.
The only other company that has previously successfully performed a docking is the American aerospace and defense technology firm Northrop Grumman, which demonstrated a similar satellite life extension mission in 2020.
Panchal emphasized that Aule's mission will be much cheaper, estimated at around $20–30 million. He compared this to missions where astronauts physically captured a satellite, returned it to Earth, and relaunched it, which cost about a billion dollars and never became commercially viable. Attempts by NASA to conduct autonomous robotic servicing missions are also mentioned, costing hundreds of millions of dollars. Aule's goal is to achieve similar capabilities at roughly twenty times the lower cost.
The only other Indian company working in this area is OrbitAID Aerospace, but it focuses on in-orbit refueling rather than docking.
Aule's technology is targeted at high-value communication satellites. Panchal clarified that they are specifically targeting private geostationary communication satellites. There are currently about 320 such satellites in orbit, and approximately 20–25 fail each year.
The in-orbit satellite servicing market is expected to reach approximately $5.5 billion by 2030, demonstrating a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of about 10–11%, according to a report by The Business Research Company. This market includes services for life extension, refueling, repair, repositioning, and inspection.
Aule's ultimate goal is to increase the satellite's lifespan by about five years. Panchal leads the company alongside Nithyaa Giri, Chief Technology Officer (CTO), and Hrishit Tambi, Chief Operating Officer (COO), along with a team of about 23 people.
The team includes specialists from Pixxel, Skyroot, ISRO, and other organizations. Additionally, the company has consultants from ISRO who participated in India's docking missions, work with communication satellites, and other major programs.
Panchal noted that India achieved docking as part of the ISRO SpaDex mission in 2024, but he stressed that Aule's mission is different. He explained that previous missions involved cooperative satellites specifically designed for docking, whereas Aule aims to dock with satellites that lack docking interfaces.
Explaining their approach, Panchal said their task is to create the lightest and most efficient satellite in the world for performing these operations. Instead of using expensive LiDAR or radar, they are developing computer vision-based systems that use cameras to determine the satellite's position and orientation.
The company has created several test environments. One is a darkened room equipped with a solar simulator, which recreates the view of a satellite in space to train computer vision models on images captured by cameras. There is also a test platform with air bearings, which creates a frictionless environment to model movement without forces and test docking systems.
Although one service satellite can only dock with one satellite at a time, it is not limited to one client for its entire lifespan. For example, it can dock with one satellite, extend its life by two years, detach, and move on to another. Thus, the operational lifespan of the service spacecraft can be distributed among several client satellites. After completing the mission, the satellites will be moved to a graveyard orbit above the operational geostationary orbit.
Panchal explained why Aule Space does not focus on refueling but prefers docking. He stated that even if refueling technology becomes available, existing satellites were not designed for refueling. Instead of transferring fuel, their craft attaches to the satellite and functions as a tow vehicle, providing thrust for up to six years.
Panchal's career began at Pixxel, where he worked on mechanical systems for six hyperspectral satellites launched last year. His interest in space arose back in college as part of a student satellite team. When he founded the company, the initial goal was to remove space debris. However, after discussions with clients and space agencies, it became clear that servicing valuable satellites presented a more immediate commercial opportunity. Ultimately, the same technology can also support debris removal.
Looking ahead, the company plans to engage in extraterrestrial robotics and then asteroid mining by 2050. 'Our goal is to create a robotic workforce for space. Satellite servicing is the first application. As launch costs decrease, space manufacturing, in-space assembly, asteroid mining, and lunar infrastructure will become increasingly feasible,' Panchal concluded.
Cape Winelands Airport, a former military airfield outside Durbanville slated for reconstruction with initial investments up to 10 billion rand, is being positioned as more than just a new passenger hub for Cape Town.
Airport developers and partner Stellenbosch University have presented plans to create an 'Aviation Village' for aerospace and aviation companies, a dedicated drone corridor, an expanded satellite engineering center, and a complex of new aviation qualifications. Several companies have already signed letters of intent to locate their facilities in this Aviation Village.
Previously known as Phisantecraal Airfield, the airport was built in 1943 as a South African Air Force base for Lockheed Ventura bombers and is currently used for general aviation and flight training.
The consortium RSA Aero, the project owner, plans to construct a new terminal, runway infrastructure, and 450 hectares of developable land. The airport director is Dion Kloete, who previously served as CEO of Cape Town International Airport. Strategic partnerships with WBHO Construction and Growthpoint Properties were announced at the end of 2025, and in March, architects Boogertman + Partners were appointed as design leads alongside airport specialist amd.sigma from Berlin, a subsidiary of Munich Airport International.
Despite all the plans, nothing has been implemented yet. The area remains an active airfield for general aviation, surrounded by agricultural land; the first site preparation work is expected only in the last quarter of 2026, with commissioning planned for the end of 2028.
Environmental approval was granted on October 27, 2025, following six appeals—one was withdrawn, and the remaining five were rejected by the Western Cape Minister of Environment, Anton Bredell, at the end of May. However, zoning approved by the Cape Town municipal tribunal is undergoing a separate appeal, and the airfield licensing still needs to be obtained. The project has been recognized as a 'strategic integrated project' by Infrastructure South Africa, obligating all government bodies to prioritize its approvals, licenses, and permits.
The technological aspirations became evident in early July when the airport and Stellenbosch University announced a cooperation agreement covering 'smart' and 'green' development, including research in space and aviation. Professor Corne Schutte, Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at Stellenbosch University for Research and Industry Liaison, noted that one must be frank: 'it is more of an intention than a prospectus.'
Company representative Deidre Davies stated that the goal of creating the Aviation Village near the airport is to strengthen the sector. She added that an Aviation Village Working Group has been formed, comprising representatives from academia, local and international private sectors, government, and the community. Although details of the companies that have signed intentions are not yet disclosed, Davies confirmed their existence.
The university confirmed that the vision of the airport as an aerospace center is accurate, referencing a heritage that 'runs from South Africa's first satellite through the local satellite engineering industry that originated at the university.' According to Wesgro, in 2024, the Western Cape accounted for over 55% of South Africa's space navigation systems exports and nearly 94% of spacecraft and launch vehicle exports to markets including the USA, UK, Japan, France, and Thailand. The agency names the Somerset West–Stellenbosch corridor a key node in Africa's space economy.
The university provided a striking figure: its faculty of engineering 'currently has 226 people employed in its space-related spin-off companies, with a combined turnover exceeding 205 million rand.' The program in question is the Electronic Systems Laboratory, founded in 1991. From it emerged Sunsat, South Africa's first satellite, which was designed and assembled almost entirely by postgraduate engineers and launched on a Delta II rocket from Vandenberg, California, in February 1999.
SunSpace and Information Systems were spun out from the laboratory in 2000 and later built SumbandilaSat with the university, launched in 2009 and used for disaster monitoring, including fire suppression campaigns in Kruger National Park. The company CubeSpace, which spun out of the same laboratory under the leadership of Professor Herman Steyn, deals with attitude determination and control systems that 'are now used on hundreds of satellites for clients in over 30 countries and are NASA-approved.'
The cooperation agreement includes a modernized centre of excellence at Stellenbosch University. Professor Schutte emphasized that 'this is not starting from scratch'; opportunities existed for over 30 years, and the question is how to develop them further.
Planned research is divided into three interconnected areas: first, satellite technology itself (compact optical payloads, imaging sensors, radiation-hardened onboard electronics); second, mission engineering (integrating these technologies into complete missions for crop monitoring or disaster response); and third, autonomy and situational awareness in space (self-deciding satellites and space debris tracking).
Regarding rockets and launches, such as from the Denel Overberg test range in the Southern Cape, the university directed questions about the rocket development and testing program to the University of KwaZulu-Natal Aerospace Systems Research Institute (ASRI). However, it confirmed that both capabilities interact, stating that it 'is actively engaging with ASRI to understand how their work and our own satellite activities can align.'
Deidre Davies reported that the airport also plans a drone corridor. She noted that the integration of manned and unmanned aviation will become necessary as the industry develops, and the airport wants to play a leading role in this. The corridor will integrate with the Western Cape drone strategy, allowing systems to be tested in real conditions alongside existing aviation.
The airport is also committed to being 'green' from the outset, concerning construction, energy supply, and operation. Renewable energy sources will include solar panels and biodigesters, as well as on-site water harvesting and wastewater treatment. The architects aim to make it one of the most environmentally friendly airports in the world.
For Stellenbosch University, the educational component is the core of the partnership, as this is where the airport ceases to be merely infrastructure and begins to produce people. The learning structure is designed as a 'ladder, not a single qualification': ranging from short courses and micro-credentials to structured master's degrees with a research project. Proposed programs include air and airport management, aerospace systems, aviation and logistics, unmanned aerial vehicles, and sustainable aviation.
The area will also include an 'Agri-zone,' which will not be purely commercial or industrial. The plan involves developing 'integrated, clean, and healthy spaces,' including staff accommodation. This zone focuses on research and development to improve crop yields and crop rotation.
