Astrophel Aerospace tests an Indian-made actuator for its reusable rocket hopper

Astrophel Aerospace, a Pune space startup, has tested an actuator it designed in house, News9live reported in October. Actuators steer a rocket by moving its engine to change the direction of thrust. In testing, Astrophel's unit handled loads of up to 5 kN, responded at more than 10 Hz, reached a linear speed of at least 200 mm per second and had 60 mm of travel. The company plans to sell it to aerospace, defence and industrial customers as well as using it in its own rockets.

The actuator is meant for a vertical takeoff and vertical landing test vehicle, a hopper, which News9live reported is now targeted for early 2027 at the company's Pune facility. The flight had been scheduled for 15 August this year and was delayed partly by permissions.

Astrophel raised Rs 6.84 Cr in a pre-seed round in July 2025 to build a reusable semi-cryogenic launch vehicle prototype, ETManufacturing reported, and had test-fired a semi-cryogenic engine for about Rs 6 lakh before taking outside money. In August 2025 it signed a framework MoU with IN-SPACe for access to ISRO facilities to test turbopumps and engine modules, BusinessLine reported. Co-founder and CEO Suyash Bafna and co-founder and COO Immanuel Louis lead the company.