When the Gujarat earthquake struck in January 2001, it left entire neighbourhoods buried under rubble. Buildings had collapsed, roads had cracked open, and thousands of families were desperately searching for loved ones.

Rescue teams poured into the affected areas, but another crisis soon became apparent. Telephone exchanges had stopped functioning, mobile networks were patchy, and communication between emergency responders had broken down at a time when every passing minute could mean the difference between life and death.

In those difficult hours, it was amateur HAM radio operators — volunteers who communicate using a dedicated radio system that can function independently of conventional telephone and mobile networks — who became an important link between rescue teams. Their messages helped coordinate relief efforts when much of the communication infrastructure had failed.

Among those watching these events unfold was 13-year-old Sanjay Nekkanti.

For most people, it was another story of readiness developing from tragedy. For him, it became a question that stayed with him even after life had returned to normal. If a relatively simple communication system could continue working when everything else stopped, what role could more advanced technologies play during disasters?

“My journey into space started at a pretty young age,” recalls Sanjay, CEO and co-founder of Dhruva Space. “At age 13, I was living in Gujarat when the devastating 2001 earthquake struck. Amid the widespread destruction and collapse of conventional communication networks, I witnessed how amateur HAM radio operators became a very critical lifeline for search and rescue efforts.”

“It was the first time I understood how important communication technology could be during a crisis. It also got me thinking about how space-based infrastructure could help keep people connected when conventional systems fail,” he tells The Better India.

That fascination eventually led to the creation of ‘Dhruva Space’, a Hyderabad-based company that is helping build satellites and the systems that keep them operational.

Established in 2012 by Sanjay Nekkanti, Krishna Teja Penamakuru, Abhay Egoor and Chaitanya Dora Surapureddy, the company develops end-to-end space infrastructure that supports applications ranging from disaster response and climate monitoring to agriculture, communications, scientific research and national security.

The company was established at a time when India’s private space ecosystem was still in its infancy. ISRO had already earned international recognition for its scientific achievements, but there were very few private companies designing and manufacturing space technologies within the country. The founders believed India had the engineering talent to change that.

Building for India’s space future

The CEO’s interest in space continued to grow after the earthquake. At 19, he joined SRMSAT, India’s first student satellite mission undertaken with the support of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Working on the project helped him understand how satellites are designed and operated, but it also exposed a gap in India’s growing space ambitions.

While ISRO had built impressive capabilities, commercial participation remained extremely limited. There were very few companies geared to design satellites, manufacture critical components, or support organisations that wanted to use space technologies.

“When I founded Dhruva Space in 2012, there were very few private companies working in India’s space sector. We wanted to help build some of the capabilities that the country would need as the industry grew, from developing technology at home to strengthening supply chains and creating skilled jobs,” he says.

India has already shown what it can achieve in space, from reaching Mars and landing on the moon to contributing to international human spaceflight and scientific missions. “Those milestones have proved the country’s scientific and engineering capabilities,” he continues. “The next step is to build a strong industrial ecosystem that can design, manufacture, and operate space technologies at scale.”

For the founders, the opportunity was never limited to building satellites. They wanted to create an ecosystem where organisations could access every stage of a satellite mission through a single company instead of coordinating with multiple vendors.

The work that begins before lift-off

Ask someone what comes to mind when they hear the word ‘satellite’, and most are likely to picture a rocket soaring into the sky.

In reality, launching the satellite is only one part of the process.

Before a satellite takes flight, engineers spend........

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