In this episode of The Startup Operator Podcast, Roshan speaks with Ronak Kumar Samantray, founder of Take Me to Space and former co-founder of NowFloats (acquired by Reliance). Ronak shares his journey from coding at age 10 to building satellites in his living room, and his mission to democratize access to space — letting anyone, anywhere, interact directly with satellites without the traditional gatekeeping. The conversation covers the evolution of space exploration from the 1960s to today, why private innovation has reignited interest, the economics driving launch cost reductions, and the mindset required to take on “mad” ideas. Ronak also explains Take Me to Space’s products — Orbit View and Orbit Lab — and how they could make programmable satellites as accessible as personal computers once became. Whether you’re a space enthusiast, a founder thinking about first-principles innovation, or just curious how a non-aerospace engineer ended up building satellites, this episode is full of inspiration and insight.

🔖 Topics 00:00 – Introduction to Take Me to Space

01:12 – Host Introduction and Episode Overview

02:19 – Guest Welcome and Space Ambitions

04:12 – Why Was There a Lull in Space Exploration?

08:06 – Mars as a Testing Ground for Exploration

12:28 – Billionaires, Governments, and the Dream of Space

14:41 – Raunak’s Founding Story26:38 – What Are CubeSats? Nanosatellites Explained

29:42 – Democratizing Space: The Vision of TM2S

36:02 – Orbit View & Orbit Lab: User Applications

47:07 – Business Model: SaaS for Space ($2/minute)

56:10 – Indian Space Policy & Regulatory Ease

01:00:03 – Rapid Fire: Reusable Rockets, Space Tourism & More

01:06:08 – Advice for Aspiring Space Founders

From Living Room Satellite to Democratizing Space: Raunak Kumar Mantri’s Take Me to Space Journey