{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"India Tech Report","title":"EtherealX, Aule kick off 2026 space tech funding in India with ambitious targets","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":556,"description":"Hrishit Tambi, Jay Panchal and Nithyaa Giri, founders of Aule Space Technologies, aim to put India in the club of nations offering ISAM technologies. Image source: Aule. Edited by Hari Arakali.Listen to the episodeTwo space-tech startups kicked off 2026’s funding news for the sector in India, aiming to expand India’s presence in the global space economy in two challenging areas. And they’ve both found backing from top-notch investors.Ethereal Exploration Guild (EtherealX) and Aule Space Technologies revealed a Series A and a pre-seed-stage investment respectively, in separate announcements, last week.EtherealX was founded by Manu J. Nair, Shubhayu Sardar, and Prashanth Sharma, who bring experience from ISRO and the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences to their endeavour.They have found backing from Japan’s TDK Ventures. The venture arm of TDK Corporation will invest up to $5 million in Bengaluru-based Ethereal Exploration’s series A round.The partnership aims to accelerate development of Razor Crest Mk-1 — the world’s first medium-lift rocket designed for full reusability, according to a press release. EtherealX’s vehicle, still under development, targets launch costs as low as $500 per kilogram, roughly 10X lower than current rates, although the rates vary based on the type of rocket and other factors such as whether the mission is a small dedicated one or something part of large payload and so on.At its targeted $500-$1000 range, EtherealX hopes to unlock a wide range of commercial missions, including rocket cargo as a service. Its distinguishing feature is a reusable upper stage powered by a proprietary Full Flow Segregated Cooling Cycle engine, coupled with in-house simulation and test infrastructure to shorten development cycles and improve reusability. The global space economy is entering a phase of billion-dollar bets and trillion-dollar visions. Valued at about $630 billion in 2023, it is expected to nearly triple to $1.8 trillion by 2035,...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/klwtZi6_OVxR1RQx-EUqBBLq9JNmkk2p0xt3ov7-eeg/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9kYjRi/MTNkNDVhMTVlOThm/MDM4ZmVlYjFmZGNl/OGFiNy5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}