🌏 Astreva Aerospace, a student startup based in Vellore, Tamil Nadu, flew mission Vetriyaan, a near-space mission carried out using a high-altitude balloon 🌌 This is the onboard footage from the mission at its peak altitude of ~25.4 km. The mission lasted around 3 hours and 10 minutes. More details about the mission will be shared soon. This footage was shared exclusively with @ispaceflight_in! Congratulations @ASTREVA_SPACE on your first near-space mission! Looking forward to your future missions!

🇮🇳 Vellore Student Startup Astreva Aerospace Flies Near-Space Balloon Mission "Vetriyaan" 📌 WHAT: Astreva Aerospace, a student-run aerospace startup based in Vellore, Tamil Nadu, has flown its first near-space mission — "Vetriyaan" — using a high-altitude balloon that reached a peak altitude of approximately 25.4 km. 🏢 WHO: Astreva Aerospace (student startup, Vellore, Tamil Nadu); footage shared exclusively via @ispaceflight_in 📅 WHEN: Mission flown, reported 23 Oct 2026; duration ~3 hours 10 minutes 🎯 WHAT IS THIS? (IN SIMPLE WORDS) A high-altitude balloon mission sends a payload (cameras, sensors, sometimes small experiments) up into the stratosphere using a large helium or hydrogen balloon rather than a rocket — it's a far cheaper, accessible way for student teams to get real near-space flight experience, data, and footage. At ~25 km altitude, you're well above commercial air traffic and into the upper stratosphere, with visibly curved Earth and near-black sky — not orbital space, but a genuine near-space environment. ⚙️ TECH SPECS (not published) • Peak altitude: ~25.4 km • Mission duration: ~3 hours 10 minutes • Payload, balloon type, recovery method, onboard instruments: not published — team says more mission details to follow • This appears to be Astreva Aerospace's first publicly disclosed near-space mission 🧠 OUR ANALYSIS • This is a student-team milestone, not a funded/institutional space programme — worth framing it that way rather than overselling it as a major aerospace achievement. That said, successfully flying, recovering, and getting usable onboard footage from a ~25 km balloon mission is a real, non-trivial technical accomplishment for a student group. • No independent press coverage exists yet for this specific mission — we're relying entirely on the social media account that shared the footage. Worth revisiting once Astreva shares the promised "more details." ❓ WHAT WE DON'T KNOW • Payload composition, balloon specs, recovery details • Team size, founding date, or institutional affiliation (VIT Vellore or independent) • Any prior missions or track record before Vetriyaan 📷 Credit: Astreva Aerospace via @ispaceflight_in #Astreva #Vetriyaan #NearSpace #StudentAerospace #Vellore #IndianSpaceTech #DefencewithIndia

A student-led aerospace startup from Vellore has announced the successful launch of its own near-space research mission! 🇮🇳🚀 Meet VETRIYAAN, a project developed by Tamil Nadu-based Astreva Aerospace. While India's space sector is attracting some of the country's biggest companies and investors, a young team from Vellore is pursuing its own aerospace ambitions. And their story deserves attention! 🧵👇