Cellestia Space takes shape in Bengaluru to build technology, hardware and commercial space programmes across India, Switzerland and Europe

Born from industrial and research relationships developed from Switzerland the independent Indian company brings together aerospace engineering microgravity science life sciences supplychain expertise and commercial executionBENGALURU INDIA LUCERNE SWITZERLAND Cellestia Space Private Limited is being established in Bengaluru as an independent Indian space and deeptech company created to move crossborder collaboration from introductions and agreements into engineering hardware qualified supply chains and commercially executable programmesThe company grew out of industrial and research relationships developed through the Switzerlandbased nonprofit Space Systems Innovation Platform SSIP followed by direct engagement with Indian industry research institutions and the countrys expanding private space ecosystem Cellestia is a separate commercial venture being established as an independent Indian company to turn those relationships into technology industrial capability and marketfacing programmesThe founding team is led by Paulo Pinheiro Founder amp Chief Executive Officer with Joshith Kayakkal CoFounder amp Director Debraj Dasgupta CoFounder amp Chief Business Officer Dr Bernd Rattenbacher CoFounder amp Chief Technology Officer and Rylan Coury CoFounder amp Chief Operating OfficerInternational cooperation only matters when it produces something tangible said Pinheiro Cellestia is the next step moving from introductions and agreements into engineering hardware qualified supply chains programmes and intellectual property We want to build between these ecosystems not simply connect themA NEW PHASE IN INDIAS SPACE ECONOMYIndias space economy is entering a new phase INSPACes decadal strategy sets an ambition to grow the Indian space economy to USD 44 billion by 2033 with privatesector capability industrial ecosystem development and international outreach among the priorities identified for growthISRO is simultaneously expanding Indias microgravity research ecosystem as part of its broader humanspaceflight roadmap Its Indian Microgravity Experiments IMEx2026 programme spans fields including space biology and biotechnology pharmacology and drug research materials science fluid physics and inspace manufacturing The programme follows a staged path from laboratory feasibility to terrestrial microgravity validation and for selected experiments potential ISROenabled flight opportunities subject to safety feasibility and platform constraintsThat staged approach is central to Cellestias model The company intends to work from terrestrial validation and hardware qualification through payload integration industrialisation and where scientifically and commercially justified flightINDIASWITZERLAND COLLABORATION CREATES A WIDER CONTEXTCellestias formation comes at a significant moment in IndiaSwitzerland relations During Swiss President Guy Parmelins State Visit to India in October 2026 Prime Minister Narendra Modi identified health clean energy and space among the priority areas for new joint research projects The two countries are also strengthening their longstanding science and technology relationship through the IndoSwiss Research FrameworkThe wider economic environment is also changing The Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement TEPA between India and the European Free Trade Association Iceland Liechtenstein Norway and Switzerland entered into force on 1 October 2025 providing a broader framework for trade investment and deeper valuechain integrationENGINEERING AND EXECUTION AT THE CORECellestia will initially focus on four connected areas spacegrade engineering and industrial supply chains microgravity and spaceenabled life sciences payload and experimental hardware integration and proprietary space technologiesIts founding team reflects that model Pinheiro brings more than two decades of aerospace engineering experience across satellite assembly integration and testing quality systems and advanced manufacturing Kayakkal contributes local execution capability and knowledge of Indias space ecosystem Dasgupta brings international lifesciences and businessdevelopment experience Rattenbacher contributes expertise in space biology microgravity research and experimental systems Coury combines biotechnology supplychain and operations experience with aerospace procurement experience at Beyond GravityTogether the team spans the path from science and engineering to sourcing qualification operations industrialisation and market accessIndia and Switzerland bring different but highly complementary strengths Pinheiro added The opportunity is not the number of agreements that can be signed It is the number of technologies products and companies that can be built because those ecosystems decided to work togetherAlthough its roots lie in work initiated from Switzerland Cellestia is being built as an Indian company headquartered in Bengaluru Its aim is to develop capability locally strengthen Indian engineering and supply chains integrate specialist technologies from Switzerland and Europe where they add value and compete internationallyBorn from Switzerland Built in Bengaluru Designed for the global space economyABOUT CELLESTIA SPACE PRIVATE LIMITEDCellestia Space Private Limited is an independent Indian space and deeptech company being established in Bengaluru The company develops and commercialises technologies and industrial programmes across space engineering microgravity and spaceenabled life sciences payload and experimental hardware advanced manufacturing and specialised international supply chainsEngineering Life Beyond EarthNOTE TO EDITORS References to public programmes policy targets and bilateral frameworks are provided as market and policy context and do not imply endorsement of Cellestia Space by any government or public agencyOfficial context Prime Minister of India statement IndoSwiss Research Framework IMEx2026 EFTAIndia TEPA

Cellestia Space takes shape in Bengaluru to build technology, hardware and commercial space programmes across India, Switzerland and Europe

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Cellestia Space takes shape in Bengaluru to build technology, hardware and commercial space programmes across India, Switzerland and Europe

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