Kerala's HEX20 Launches KOYO Satellite aboard SpaceX Transporter-17

17 July 2026National

Kerala-based spacetech startup HEX20 successfully launched its second satellite KOYO (Kinetic Optical Yaw Observer) aboard SpaceX's Transporter-17 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. Carrying 81 payloads, KOYO entered orbit as a multi-payload test platform for in-orbit technology validation. KOYO carries payloads from international partners (Aegiverse and National Central University of Taiwan, Amplified Space of USA, and ET Space Power) and validated HEX20's AX CubeSat platform. It builds on NILA (2025), India's first private-sector rideshare satellite and Kerala's first privately built satellite.

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ISRO HQ: Bengaluru | SpaceX Transporter is a dedicated rideshare programme | NILA (2025) was India's first private-sector rideshare satellite

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Kerala startup HEX20 launched its KOYO satellite (81 payloads) aboard SpaceX Transporter-17, building on its 2025 NILA mission.

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