Startup tests space-based drug manufacturing in near-space flight

Odisha-based spacetech startup Serendipity Space has successfully flight-tested a prototype satellite that can manufacture pharmaceutical materials in microgravity, Swarajya and Inc42 report. The test was conducted using a high-altitude balloon launched from Hyderabad on the eve of Independence Day, reaching about 30 kilometres into near space. The satellite carried commercial cancer therapeutics and a small-molecule drug, processing them autonomously before returning to Earth via parachute into a rice field. The team recovered the payload and is now analysing whether the material survived and is viable for pharmaceutical use.

The company, founded by Antariksh Parichha, Jivitesh Debata, and Dr Monica Ekal, aims to build orbital satellites that produce medicines in space and bring them back to Earth. Its autonomous pharmaceutical factory, called 'Alchemy', is designed to operate 400-500 km above Earth. Inc42 reports that the in-space drug manufacturing market was valued at $768 million in 2024 and is projected to reach $3 billion by 2033. Serendipity is backed by Riceberg Ventures' KickSky Space Labs accelerator.