Space Tech

The Space Tech Portfolio holds US-listed companies working in and around the space economy: satellite communications, satellite imaging and earth observation, aerospace manufacturing, launch services, navigation, and defence-linked space technology. It is a way to get exposure to a sector that has very few listed options in India. Some holdings are established aerospace and communications businesses. Others are newer companies still building out. Vested’s research team sets the mix. You can see the full list of holdings and their weights once you sign up.

This portfolio may suit you if you want exposure to satellites, launch and space infrastructure over a long horizon and accept that parts of the sector are still early. It is one of the clearest cases for going global, since there is no comparable listed exposure on Indian exchanges. It is less suitable for short-term money, or for investors who want established, profitable companies only. Several businesses in this space are still investing ahead of earnings and their results can be uneven.

Yes. Resident Indians can invest in the Space Tech Portfolio through Vested under the RBI’s Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS), which currently allows you to remit up to USD 250,000 per financial year for overseas investments. You open a US investment account through Vested, complete a one-time KYC, and transfer money from your Indian bank account. The shares and ETFs are held in your own account in your name, not pooled in a fund, and you can sell and bring the money back to India whenever you want. Gains are taxable in India depending on how long you hold, so factor that into your planning.

Vested reviews every Managed Portfolio, including Space Tech, once a quarter. A review does not automatically lead to a rebalance. The portfolio is only changed if the research team concludes that the existing allocation no longer makes sense, for example when a company no longer fits the theme or when the weights have drifted away from what was intended. Managed Portfolios are non-discretionary, which means nothing is bought or sold in your account on its own. You are notified when a change is recommended and you decide whether to approve it. There are no brokerage or transaction charges on rebalancing trades.

Because building this yourself means separating established aerospace and satellite communications businesses from younger companies that are still pre-profit, and sizing each sensibly. A Managed Portfolio does that groundwork for you: Vested’s research team decides which companies go in, how much weight each one gets, and when something should change. You still own the actual shares and ETFs in your own US account, so you can see exactly what you hold, and this is not a fund unit. It also helps with a problem most people run into on their own, which is quietly ending up with far too much money in one stock. You pay an annual advisory fee on the amount you invest, with no purchase fee, no brokerage on rebalancing trades and no exit load. None of this stops you buying individual US stocks on Vested as well, if you want to do both.

Many companies here depend on government contracts and programme budgets, so a delayed or cancelled contract matters more than usual. Development cycles are long and capital-intensive, and a failed launch or a satellite problem can have an immediate financial effect. Some holdings are not consistently profitable yet, which makes them sensitive to interest rates and to the availability of funding. Competition is increasing as launch costs fall. Vested tags this portfolio as high risk. Because the holdings are priced in US dollars, your returns in rupees also depend on how the rupee moves against the dollar over the period you stay invested.

There are five steps. First, sign up on Vested and complete your KYC, a one-time process to open your US investment account. Second, add money by remitting from your Indian bank account under the LRS route. Third, open the Space Tech Portfolio and read through its holdings, risk tag and fee before you commit. Fourth, invest the amount you want. You can start small and add to it over time, and there is no lock-in. Fifth, review it periodically and approve or decline any rebalancing recommendation you are sent. You can withdraw at any time without an exit load.

The cost of getting to orbit has fallen sharply, largely because rockets can now be reused. That single change made things viable that were not before: large satellite constellations for internet coverage, frequent earth observation imaging, and smaller companies being able to afford a launch at all. Demand has followed: connectivity in places terrestrial networks do not reach, imaging data for agriculture, insurance and climate monitoring, and navigation services that other industries now depend on. Defence budgets have added a second source of demand, since space is now treated as a strategic domain. Private capital has funded a wave of new entrants, though not all of them will survive.