AWS launches first space tech accelerator program in India

The accelerator was launched by AWS at an event attended by Shri Sudheer Kumar N, Director, Capacity Building and Public Outreach, ISRO_ and representatives from AWS, T-Hub, and Minfy.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) on February 7 announced the AWS Space Accelerator for fostering startups focused on space technology and accelerating their development with support from Telangana's startup incubator T-Hub and Minfy.

This is AWS’s first accelerator program in India, which focuses on startups in the space sector following the MoU it signed with ISRO and IN-SPACe in September 2023.

The 14-week accelerator program will provide India-based startups with resources, expertise and guidance around technology and business capabilities and help them leverage AWS to develop their missions.

The program is open to both early-stage and mature startups based in India whose missions support the space sector, and who need a technology platform for their ideas intending to accelerate their growth and investment opportunities, a release by AWS said. Interested startups can learn more and register at this link by March 17, it added.

Startups qualifying for the program can receive benefits, including up to $100,000 in AWS credits, as well as guidance from experts at ISRO, IN-SPACe and AWS, and business and technology support from T-Hub and Minfy, an AWS Premier Partner.

The release said that startups will learn about space domain technologies and applications, and how to leverage space data and build scalable solutions using cloud computing, data analytics, and machine learning, including the potential to apply generative artificial intelligence (AI).

While ISRO will support the accelerator program through educational workshops and seminars for startups, space regulator IN-SPACe will support the accelerator program by collaborating with the space-tech community in India.

Clint Crosier, Director of Aerospace and Satellite, AWS Inc, said, “Cloud computing is crucial to power the future of the space industry. It enables space-tech startups to harness high-performance computing resources to perform intensive data analysis, apply machine learning models, and innovate in their missions while achieving lower cost of operations, faster time-to-market, and deployment at scale.”

“Technologies such as generative AI open transformative opportunities for space tech, and we are committed to helping startups innovate and develop sustainable solutions for the space sector," Crosier added.