Meet The 25-Year-Old Entrepreneur Building India’s Own Spaceplane

While most 25-year-olds are figuring out their early corporate careers, Sree Supranayi K is trying to change how we build things in space. As the co-founder and CEO of the space startup AnduraX, she is leading a small team to build ARES India’s very first privately developed, fully autonomous reusable spaceplane.

Instead of just building rockets that launch things one-way and burn up on return, her goal is a two-way delivery system. She wants to use the unique environment of orbit to manufacture high-tech materials and bring them safely back to Earth.

From Childhood Fascinations to a Real Startup

Growing up, Supranayi listened to her mother’s bedtime stories about human colonies on the moon. Her mother even joked that by the time Supranayi turned 25, she’d be taking summer vacations there. While she hasn’t made it to the moon yet, at 25, she is building the vehicles to get us there.

Though her family hoped she would join their established real estate business, her obsession with the stars won out. She studied aerospace engineering, drew heavy inspiration from figures like Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam and Sunita Williams, and eventually launched AnduraX in June 2024. The name is a nod to Endurance and Space Expeditions.

What Exactly is the ARES Spaceplane?

Unlike traditional rockets that discard their parts or carry capsules that splash down violently into the ocean, ARES is designed like a small, fully automated airplane. It launches vertically into space, spends up to 90 days in orbit, and then glides back home for a smooth, automated landing on a regular runway.

The primary purpose isn't tourism—it’s payload return.

The Core Plan:

• Manufacturing in Zero Gravity: In space, the lack of gravity means there is no sedimentation (settling of particles). This allows scientists to grow incredibly pure protein crystals for advanced medicine, flawless fiber-optic cables, and ultra-pure semiconductor chips.

• The 2028 Demonstration: AnduraX is targeting 2028 for its first full orbital re-entry flight, aiming to bring back a 100 kg payload.

• The Space Station Cargo Truck (2032): By 2032, the company plans to fly a massive 5.5-tonne version built specifically to haul cargo and supplies to and from ISRO’s upcoming Bharatiya Antariksh Station.

Crucial Milestone: The Stratospheric Drop Test

Proving a spaceplane can actually glide and land itself is one of the hardest challenges in aviation. To test their custom flight software and automated landing systems, Supranayi’s team recently conducted a major milestone test called ARES Drop Mission 1 (ADM-01).

They used a massive high-altitude balloon to lift a scaled-down prototype vehicle 25,000 meters into the air—well into near-stratospheric conditions. Once released, the vehicle dropped, gathered real-world aerodynamic data, and validated that their guidance and control systems work exactly as intended.

Fighting the Funding Battle

Building heavy aerospace hardware is notoriously expensive, and Supranayi faced an immediate uphill battle trying to convince local venture capitalists—who traditionally prefer software apps—to fund a multi-year space hardware project.

"The journey of all entrepreneurs is full of challenges. Ours was no different. The main challenge was simply getting people to fund a dream this big," Supranayi shared.

The turning point came from within. Her family chose to back her dream with initial capital, which the company paired with prestigious government grants like Nidhi Prayas and the MeitY TIDE scheme. Today, AnduraX is backed by KickSky Space Lab—a deep-tech accelerator supported by global space-focused funds. As India opens its doors to private space innovation, a 25-year-old woman is proving that the country's next giant leap might just come from a small,