India’s Bellatrix and Korea’s TelePIX Partner to Launch Next-Gen VLEO Imaging Satellite by 2028

Representative Image

India’s Bellatrix Aerospace and South Korea’s TelePIX have signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly develop a Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) imaging satellite, slated for launch in 2028. This collaboration, announced during Korea–India Space Day in Daejeon, represents a bold step toward next-generation Earth observation technology.

TelePIX announced the collaboration on May 29, 2026, and Bellatrix’s leadership also participated in a signing ceremony in Daejeon, South Korea.

The Partnership

• Bellatrix Aerospace: Known for its eco-friendly propulsion systems, including the Air-Breathing Electric Propulsion (ABEP) platform.
• TelePIX: Specializes in AI-driven imaging payloads, with its flagship wide-swath optical camera “Chouette.”
• Objective: Build a VLEO satellite that combines advanced propulsion with cutting-edge imaging, enabling sharper, wider, and more frequent Earth observation.

LEO vs VLEO: What’s the Difference?

Orbit Type	Altitude Range	Key Features	Advantages	Challenges
Low Earth Orbit (LEO)	~500–1,200 km	Most common orbit for Earth observation satellites	Balanced resolution, stable operations	Requires onboard fuel for propulsion
Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO)	~150–250 km	Much closer to Earth’s surface	Ultra-high resolution imagery, reduced latency	Severe atmospheric drag, shorter satellite lifespan

TelePIX’s “Chouette” Payload

• Wide-Swath Imaging: Covers twice the area of conventional satellites.
• Multispectral Capability: Useful for defense, agriculture, and environmental monitoring.
• AI Integration: Real-time image processing for faster decision-making.
• Optimized for VLEO: Designed to minimize drag and maximize efficiency.

Applications

• Defense: Border surveillance, maritime monitoring.
• Disaster Response: Floods, cyclones, wildfires with near-real-time imaging.
• Environmental Monitoring: Climate change, pollution, forestry.
• Urban Planning: Infrastructure development, insurance risk assessment.

Challenges Ahead

• Atmospheric Drag: Constant deceleration risk at 150–250 km altitude.
• Satellite Longevity: VLEO missions face harsher conditions than LEO.
• Constellation Costs: Scaling to multiple satellites requires significant investment.
• Technology Validation: Air-breathing propulsion is still in early stages of testing.

Conclusion

The Bellatrix–TelePIX MoU is more than a bilateral partnership; it’s a strategic leap into the future of Earth observation. By marrying propulsion innovation with AI-driven imaging, the mission could redefine how governments, businesses, and researchers monitor our planet. If successful, this VLEO satellite will set new benchmarks for resolution, coverage, and responsiveness — potentially reshaping the global satellite imaging industry.

India’s Vedanta Group Signs MoUs with 20 Korean Companies from the Display Glass Industry

Vedanta’s successful roadshow at KOTRA’s Korea Biz-Trade Show 2023 supported by Indian government officials

Vedanta Group announced that it has signed memoranda of understanding (MoU) with 20 Korean companies from the display glass industry for the development of an electronics manufacturing hub in India. Vedanta was invited to a roadshow at the recently-concluded Korea Biz-Trade Show 2023 event organized by KOTRA – the state-funded trade and investment promotion organization operated by the Government of South Korea – in collaboration with Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

Akarsh K. Hebbar, Global Managing Director of Vedanta’s Semiconductor and Display business presented his plans of setting up a display fab in India. He invited prospective partners and customers to join Vedanta in establishing an electronics hub, supported by favourable government policies.

“More than 50 companies have shown their interest in partnering with us and we are pleased to announce that we have signed MoUs with 20 Korean companies engaged in the electronics manufacturing value chain,” said Akarsh K. Hebbar. “Along with the Indian Government, we showcased the immense investment opportunities that our country has to offer, supported by conducive policies, good talent and a robust innovation ecosystem.”

While pitching to business leaders from Korea’s electronics industry, Akarsh spoke about the scale and size of the proposed electronics ecosystem hub. He said that the hub had the potential to attract more than 150 companies and create upwards of 100 thousand direct and indirect jobs. He said that Vedanta’s greenfield display fab would be one of the anchors for this proposed hub, and offered help to any company willing to explore India as an investment destination.

Indian Government officials – led by H.E. Amit Kumar, India’s Ambassador to South Korea – participated in the roadshow and spoke about India’s investment-friendly policies. Shri Amit Kumar said that the Indian electronics industry is of one the fastest sectors in the country and is expected to reach $300Bn by 2026, driven by robust domestic demand, government incentives, and increasing consumer spending power. He pointed out that this presents a lucrative opportunity for Korean companies, known for their technology prowess and innovation, to tap into a vast and growing Indian market.

Manish Naik, Assistant Director, ICT and e-Goverance, Department of Science and Technology (GSEM), Government of Gujarat, showcased infrastructure facilities being offered at Dholera SIR, the country’s first industrial greenfield smart city, and outlined Government incentives on offer for Korean companies.

In December 2022, Vedanta had received a similar invitation for a roadshow in Japan, which was attended by more than 200 delegates from around 100 companies. That roadshow concluded with Vedanta signing MoUs with 30 Japanese firms.

Vedanta Group company Avanstrate Inc. is a pioneering leader in the display glass industry with manufacturing footprint in Korea and Taiwan. Avanstrate’s Pyeongtaek-si plant in Korea has been operational for more than 15 years, and manufactures Gen 4 to Gen 8 TFT display glass. The facility also serves as the company’s R&D center, working on developing wafer glass, ultra-thin glass, next generation cover glass and AR/VR glass applications.

About Vedanta Group

Vedanta Group ("Vedanta") is a diversified global natural resources and technology conglomerate. The group produces Oil & Gas, Zinc, Lead, Silver, Copper, Iron Ore, Steel, Nickel, Aluminium, Power, Renewable Energy, and Display glass. Vedanta has operations in India, Zambia, Namibia, South Africa, Korea and Taiwan. Vedanta is foraying into the manufacture of semiconductors and displays, with plans to set up an integrated electronics center in India and is partnering with Foxconn for semiconductor manufacturing. With an empowered talent pool globally, Vedanta places strong emphasis on partnering with all its stakeholders based on the core values of trust, sustainability, growth, entrepreneurship, integrity, respect and care. Good governance and sustainable development are at the core of Vedanta's strategy, with a strong focus on health, safety and environment, and on enhancing the lives of local communities. The group is focused on becoming the ESG leader in the natural resources sector and is committed to reducing carbon emissions to zero by 2050 or sooner. It has pledged $5 billion over the next 10 years to accelerate the transition to net zero operations. The group's CSR philosophy is to eradicate poverty and malnutrition with a focus on development of women & children through the marquee project Nand Ghar.

Disclaimer

This press release contains “forward-looking statements” – that is, statements related to future, not past, events. In this context, forward-looking statements often address our expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” “should” or “will.” Forward–looking statements by their nature address matters that are, to different degrees, uncertain. For us, uncertainties arise from the behaviour of financial and metals markets including the London Metal Exchange, fluctuations in interest and or exchange rates and metal prices; from future integration of acquired businesses; and from numerous other matters of national, regional, and global scale, including those of a political, economic, business, competitive or regulatory nature. These uncertainties may cause our actual future results to be materially different that those expressed in our forward-looking statements. We do not undertake to update our forward-looking statements.

Anthill and SparkLabs Join Forces to Boost International Growth for Indian and Korean Startups with Strategic Co-Investment Alliance

• Anthill and SparkLabs announce partnerships to boost the expansion of Indian Startups to the Korean market and invite Korean startups for access to the Indian market in the Healthcare, Urban Tech, Media tech, and Urban Lifestyle
• The partnership offers co-investment and market access opportunities to Indian & Korean Startups, it also offers Indian Family Offices & Corporate Venture Capital to get access to a global portfolio that can scale up in India

Anthill Ventures, the premier start-up accelerator fund and growth ecosystem, and SparkLabs, a renowned global network of startup accelerators and venture capital funds, announced today a strategic partnership to enhance the growth of Korean and Indian startups. With this partnership, both companies aim to bring together co-investment opportunities along with world-class mentorship, resources, and business expansion opportunities for technology-based startups from India and Korea in the Health care, Urban Tech, Media tech, and Urban Lifestyle fields.

SparkLabs has demonstrated its strengths over the past 10 years by hosting demo days and executing differentiated investment strategies. Basis its market experience and research, SparkLabs will analyze the barriers for Indian startups in the Korea market. On the other hand, Anthill with its vast network of corporates and investors in India will be the gateway for Korean startups to the Indian market. The startups from both countries will receive a host of benefits such as:

1. Growth Fund and Global VC Network
• Invest >10M into startups entering the growth stage
• Make follow-on investments in the top-performing startups
• Attract foreign investments by utilizing the global networks of both companies
2. Effective Marketing and Sales Strategies designed for the Startup ecosystem
• Increase applicable communication with various customers and global investors
• Leveraging media relations for startup profiling for earned media credibility
3. Localization of strategies
• Support implementation of location-specific strategies through evaluating relevant partnerships with leading corporations from Korea.
• Provide opportunities to create value through partnerships with ecosystem enablers like sales distributors, white labeling, joint ventures, research firms, and merger & acquisition firms.

India-Korea Bilateral trade reached a record high of USD 25.8 billion in 2022, despite the global slowdown in economic growth. The partnership between Anthill and SparkLabs offers a unique opportunity for startups, combining SparkLabs' extensive network and support from Anthill's proven accelerator programs. Startups will be equipped with the necessary tools to succeed and make a lasting impact in their industries. We're thrilled to offer this support and help bring the next generation of successful startups to the forefront.

Jimmy Kim and John Park, Partners at SparkLabs, said "The startup landscape in India has seen unprecedented growth, with a staggering 15,400% increase in just 6 years. This explosion of entrepreneurship has spread across 56 diverse sectors, with 4,500 startups making a mark in cutting-edge technology such as IoT, robotics, AI, and analytics. Our eagerness to collaborate with Anthill is driven by their mission to support startups in their journey to growth and scaling. Their values align with our goals, and we are excited to be a part of their continued success in fostering a thriving startup ecosystem in India."

"Excited to partner with SparkLabs and bring our strengths together to help entrepreneurs thrive," said Prasad Vanga, CEO of Anthill Ventures. "Seoul boasts a $39B startup ecosystem, ranked in the top 20 cities globally. Now, South Korea aims to expand its startup presence with cities like Busan and Daejeon as future hubs. With SparkLabs' global network and our focus on growth, this partnership offers unmatched support for tech entrepreneurs in a country with a thriving startup scene, huge market potential, skilled workforce, and favorable government policies."

Korean startups attracted a record-breaking $6.4B in venture investment in 2021, a 78% YoY growth. Seoul, home to 56% of total investments, hit a high of $3.5B. With 18 unicorns, including 7 new unicorns in 2021, Korea leads in AI & Big Data ($1.15B raised) and Life Sciences ($2B invested) and has a strong presence in manufacturing. The Seoul Metropolitan Government established Invest Seoul to attract $30B in foreign investment by 2030, while the government's $160M budget for robot-related R&D and talent development saw a 29% increase in 2021. (Source)

India's tech sector is thriving with companies such as TCS, WIPRO, HCL, and Infosys expanding into South Korea to meet the increasing demand for IT services and tap into a favorable business environment. These firms offer top-notch software development, digital transformation, and data analytics solutions. The Indian government fully supports this expansion to bolster bilateral trade and investment. Meanwhile, South Korean investments in India are creating job opportunities and spurring economic growth, particularly in electronics, automobiles, steel, and shipbuilding. South Korean giants such as Samsung, Hyundai, Posco, and Hyundai Heavy Industries have made a strong impact in the Indian market, joining other top tech firms such as LG, SK Telecom, and Hyundai Motors.

About Anthill:

Anthill is a global Venture Capital and Speed Scaling ecosystem that invests in courageous entrepreneurs to build companies of the future. Our intervention enables transformational growth in early-stage companies across Healthcare, Mediatech, Urbantech and Consumer Lifestyle.

Our DNA lies in our ability to make targeted and timely interventions for startups to #scalewithspeed and enable them to stronger growth trajectories through our global partner ecosystem.

About SparkLabs:

Sparklabs is a network of startup accelerators and venture capital funds, helping local startups go global. With the aim of helping startups succeed, we build leading startup ecosystems around the world and support entrepreneurs in their early stages of growth. Since evolution, SparkLabs has invested over 350 companies across 6 continents.

The Circle: Founders Club successfully accelerates 13 South Korean startups in India as part of their APAC cohort

The team is also working on bridge programs for Indian startups looking to expand in South Korea and other Asian markets.

The Circle: Founders Club (The Circle FC), a business accelerator for early-stage startups in India (a portfolio company of Hunch Ventures), in collaboration with the Korea Institute of Startup & Entrepreneurship Development (KISED) has successfully assisted a batch of 13 high-potential South Korean startups to explore synergies in the Indian market.

SchoiceHabsida, Urock Inc, Rezi, WhoseGoods, Wordvice, PiQuant, PowePlayer, DenQ, LabSD, Kairos, Mirinae, HiLokal, and You Need Character were the 13 Korean startups selected in the program, who boast of some innovative products and services ranging from Edtech, Healthtech, E-Commerce, AI, and Cybersecurity. This was a 16-week-long market discovery and entry program offering a go-to-market engine to validate, scale and provide access to business and distribution partners for the startups to establish their base in India.

India and South Korea partnership is broad-based and cuts across various sectors. Bilateral trade between the two countries has touched an all-time high figure of USD 25.8 billion during the year 2022 (January-November). It’s a 9 percent jump over the previous year’s figure of USD 23.7 billion despite the world witnessing slowing global economic growth due to surging inflationary and economic pressures, and subsequent interest rate hikes.

As the accelerator partner in India, The Circle FC has provided a thriving ecosystem for learning, peer knowledge exchange, hands-on assistance, and network building for the entrepreneurs. They have helped these companies comprehend the fragmented and convoluted Indian market, understand the competitive landscape, as well as how to navigate the regulatory, tax, and legal environment. They organized deep dive sessions to discuss hiring and local human resource practices for their current & future recruitment needs.

During the course of the program, the startups signed 23 MoUs, went through 650+ hours of mentoring, more than 150+ one on one meetings, participated in 15+ top-tier events such as NASSCOM Product Conclave (NPC), DIDAC India 2023, Expodent 2022 (Mumbai), and other ecosystem meet-ups. The offline Demo-day of the program was held at The Circle.Work in Gurugram on 10th November and saw enthusiastic participation from various stakeholders including some notable startup investors.

Commenting on this Nemesisa Ujjain, Project Director of The Circle FC said- “Expanding a business in a new market is an exciting but challenging experience. Our program is designed to provide relevant information, tools, and connections to assist entrepreneurs in navigating this process. We customise our offerings based on the stage and needs of the founder and their teams”.

“We are very happy and proud to be a part of these startup's journey in India and facilitate them with all the means possible to flourish their venture in the Indian market” she added. 

Furthermore, the FC team also assisted these startups in their marketing efforts (including offline events and digital), brand building, and PR activities.

During the onsite part of the program in India, these startups were housed at The Circle.Work, Gurugram a tech enabled workspace that has over 70+ companies including some very successful startups that operate from it. This gave the South Korean startups an added advantage to be amongst and integrate into the local startup environment.

The Circle FC team is also working on bridge programs for Indian startups looking to expand in South Korea and other East Asian markets.

Rajiv Bathla, CEO of The Circle said- "We believe that the best way to drive innovation and build lasting, successful businesses is to provide startups with the resources they need to turn their vision into reality. Through our accelerator program, we try to provide Startups with access to a network of mentors and investors, and strive to create an environment where founders can find all the support they need.”

India is becoming an attractive destination for South Korean startups that are eyeing overseas expansion, given the country's vast population and diverse markets offering rich opportunities for potential investors. With the rising popularity of K-culture such as KPop, Kdramas, and K-beauty, Indians are very welcoming of Korean products and want to experience them. As a facilitator, we clearly see exciting growth opportunities for both Indian and South Korean companies to work together and complement each other.

India Korea Startup Hub Launched by PM Modi in Seoul

Prime Minister Narendra Modi lhas aunched India Korea startup hub in Seoul. Delivering keynote address at India-Korea Business Symposium Mr Modi said India has emerged as a land of opportunity and no other large economy in the world is growing at over 7 per cent year after year. 

The India-Korea Startup Hub is a one-stop platform to bring the Indian and Korean start-up ecosystems closer and to facilitate joint innovation between the two economies.

https://twitter.com/startupindia/status/1098546189790633984

The Hub was conceptualized as part of a joint statement signed between the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) and Invest India on 9^th July 2018. The Hub will enable collaborations between startups, investors, incubators, & aspiring entrepreneurs of both countries and provide them requisite resources for market entry & global expansion.

Prime Minister said, his government has introduced flagship program Start-up India with 1.4 billion dollars fund for four years to create a startup eco-system in India. He said India is one of the most open countries for FDI today and more than 90 per cent of its sectors are now on automatic route for approval. 

S. Korea, which is world's leading market for blockchain, has consistently shown interest in Indian startup ecosystem especially in last 3-4 years.

In 2016, Korean investor KTB Network had led the $7 million (Rs. 50 crores) funding round of Bangalore based NoBroker.com.

In May of same year, SoftBank Ventures Korea had made an investment of an undisclosed amount in True Balance, one of India’s integrated, one touch prepaid mobile balance manager app. This was followed by selection of
Kerala-based hyperlocal e-commerce firm Buyfie in S. Korea's highly prestigious and popular acceleration programme, in2Korea,