Onkar Singh Batra, a 19-year-old entrepreneur from Jammu, is causing a stir in the satellite technology industry. He’s gotten extraordinarily far with his fledgling startup, Apolink. Founded in 2024 and based in Palo Alto, Apolink recently secured over $140 million in letters of intent from various companies in the Earth observation, communication, and spatial data sectors. Understandably, the startup is focused on cracking the long-thought-elusive nut of affordable satellite connectivity. Specifically, they are launching a constellation of 32 satellites that will operate in low Earth orbit (LEO).
For Batra, the adventure into the world of space technology started when he was just 14 years old. In 2022 though, still in 12th grade at a defense school in Jammu, he created InQube—India’s first open-source satellite. This project not only showcased Batra’s technical skills but highlighted a critical gap in satellite connectivity that he recognized during his work on InQube.
“I recognized that existing solutions did not provide backward compatibility, thus requiring specific hardware for network access in orbit,” Batra explained. His epiphany on the connectivity hurdles satellites encounter would become the basis for Apolink’s disruptive approach.
Apolink is excited to lead the charge against these challenges. It plans to utilize a hybrid-RF optical architecture, one that is agnostic to user terminal hardware. “We solve this through our hybrid-RF optical architecture and no user terminal, hardware-independent approach,” Batra stated, emphasizing the startup’s commitment to creating accessible satellite connectivity solutions.
The startup is preparing to carry out its inaugural demo mission. It will carry on board a 3U technology demonstration satellite, LinkONE/IPoS, and it’s expected to launch aboard a SpaceX rideshare in Q2 of 2026. This mission is a key step for Apolink’s commercial constellation. The rollout as of now is scheduled for 2028. While the first 5 satellites have already launched, the entire constellation of 32 satellites will be operational by 2029.
Batra’s design improves operational efficiency by putting satellites into low Earth orbit. This dual-strategy helps to minimize power needs and increases compatibility with customer satellites. “It’s much closer than geostationary orbit, which means closing the link between the customer satellite and our constellation is way easier… that’s where you make the power requirements limited, and that’s where the compatibility comes in as well,” he said.
To help connect with other satellites that may not have the technology onboard, Apolink’s satellites are equipped with advanced lasers and radios. This addresses a significant limitation for many existing satellite systems and opens up new opportunities for seamless communication across different platforms.
“Other ISL players focus on Ku/Ka-band and use optical terminals for EO image downlink, and we don’t,” Batra remarked, distinguishing Apolink’s unique positioning within the competitive landscape of satellite communication.
This entrepreneurship is a significant jump for Batra. In a few short years, he transitioned from a high school student to heading up one of the most innovative companies on the cutting edge of the space industry. His lifelong passion for space technology has been key in moving Apolink’s mission forward.
Through its technology, Apolink is addressing the fundamental challenges of satellite connectivity. Driven by a professional warrior spirit of revolutionizing innovative technology, the company is attempting to provide a change in a game satellite cell need. This new initiative has the potential to be extremely successful. It would have a catastrophic effect on sectors that depend on satellite data, particularly in Earth observation and in communications.