As part of the collaboration’s first experiment, dubbed DRIFT-1, Redcliffe’s dry diagnostic reagents will be placed in Low Earth Orbit for 90 days
The startups said in a statement that the experiment would examine how exposure to the space environment affects the reagents’ stability and performance
Founded in 2018 by Kandoi, Dheeraj Jain, and Ashish Dubey, Redcliffe offers pathology and diagnostic services through its laboratories, collection centres, and home sample collection network
Diagnostics startup Redcliffe Labs has partnered with spacetech startup Skyroot Aerospace to test the stability and performance of diagnostic reagents in space.
As part of the collaboration’s first experiment, dubbed DRIFT-1, Redcliffe’s dry diagnostic reagents will be placed in Low Earth Orbit for 90 days. Their performance will subsequently be compared with that of an identical control sample maintained on Earth.
The startups said in a statement that the experiment would examine how exposure to the space environment affects the reagents’ stability and performance. The initiative is also expected to generate flight data that could support the development of diagnostic technologies for space missions and challenging environments on Earth.
However, the statement did not disclose the proposed launch timeline, the rocket or spacecraft that would carry the reagents, the number and types of reagents involved, or the financial terms of the partnership.
Redcliffe said the findings could help it develop diagnostic products for locations where access to conventional laboratory infrastructure or cold-chain facilities is limited.
The two startups are also exploring potential applications across astronaut healthcare, life sciences, microgravity research, and point-of-care diagnostics for human spaceflight programmes, including Gaganyaan and the proposed Bharatiya Antariksh Station.
“If we can build diagnostics that withstand the rigours of space, we can create more resilient technologies that improve access to reliable healthcare in some of the most challenging environments on Earth,” Redcliffe founder and CEO Aditya Kandoi said.
Founded in 2018 by Kandoi, Dheeraj Jain, and Ashish Dubey, Redcliffe offers pathology and diagnostic services through its laboratories, collection centres, and home sample collection network. It claims to operate across more than 220 cities and offer over 3,600 diagnostic tests.
The healthtech startup has raised around $115 Mn in funding to date. In September 2024, it raised $42 Mn in a Series C round led by Denmark’s Investment Fund for Developing Countries, with participation from LeapFrog Investments, HealthQuad, and Spark Growth Ventures.
Redcliffe has also been expanding its diagnostics network through acquisitions. Inc42 exclusively reported last month that it was in talks to acquire Pune-based Megavision Diagnostics Center, adding two MRI-equipped centres to its network. The acquisition was completed this month.
This followed its acquisitions of diagnostic centres in Ajmer and Kota. In April, Redcliffe divested its fertility services business, Crysta IVF, to sharpen its focus on diagnostics.
The development comes less than a month after Skyroot’s Vikram-I undertook the first orbital rocket launch by an Indian private company from the country. The rocket lifted off from ISRO’s Satish Dhawan Space Centre on July 18 and deployed two satellites into Low Earth Orbit.
Founded in 2018 by Pawan Kumar Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka, Hyderabad-based Skyroot develops small-satellite launch vehicles under its Vikram series. The spacetech unicorn has raised more than $95 Mn in funding to date from investors such as Temasek, GIC, and Sherpalo Ventures.