File picture: NASA's Artemis II mission to fly by the moon, comprising of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion crew capsule, lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, US, April 1, 2026. | Photo Credit: STEVE NESIUS

AnduraX, a spacetech start-up based in Vijayawada that is developing India’s first private Reusable Reentry Vehicle, will conduct the high-altitude balloon drop test in the first week of next month.

The test will release an experimental vehicle from near-stratospheric conditions, a critical step toward precision landing capability and its ARES spaceplane. The plane is targeting the first re-entry mission by 2028. 

The test, designated ADM-01 or ARES Drop Mission 1, will see the vehicle carried to an altitude of 25 km by a high-altitude balloon, before being released under near-stratospheric conditions. ARES is designed to carry up to 100 kg of payload.

“The primary objective is to generate critical flight data to support the development of AnduraX’s Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) architecture and return capability. Low-altitude tests were conducted this month,” Sree Supranayi, Co-founder and CEO of AnduraX, has said.

“We are building reusable re-entry systems to make microgravity research and in-space manufacturing more accessible, faster, and practical,” she said.

From pharmaceuticals to advanced materials, the ability to manufacture in space and return them safely has the potential to transform entire industries, from accelerating cancer cure research to developing purer semiconductor chips. This drop test is an important step toward building that capability in India.

AnduraX is a graduate of the Bengaluru-based KickSky Space Lab Cohort 2. The Lab, backed by Riceberg Ventures, E2MC Ventures and Aniara Space, supports AnduraX across venture building, technology development and roadmaps.

Published on May 26, 2026