Tamil Nadu-based spacetech startup OrbitAID Aerospace has raised $1.5 million in a pre-seed funding spherical led by Unicorn India Ventures, with further participation from the Tamil Nadu Startup and Innovation Mission (TANSIM).
The funds might be used to advance on-orbit servicing applied sciences, together with in-space demonstrations of docking and refuelling, and to scale the corporate’s patented Customary Interface Docking and Refueling Port (SIDRP) to be prepared commercially.
Nikhil Balasubramanian, co-founder and COO, stated, “The upcoming in-orbit demonstration will showcase our staff’s dedication to advancing sustainable and environment friendly satellite tv for pc servicing options.”
The startup plans to conduct in-orbit demonstrations within the subsequent 12 months and goals to attain know-how readiness degree (TRL) 6 for its refuelable propulsion system. These milestones will validate the business viability of its know-how and help future contracts with authorities and personal area organisations.
Over the previous 12 months, OrbitAID achieved TRL 7 for docking and refuelling, accomplished microgravity testing, and secured strategic partnerships.
Commenting on the funding, Bhaskar Majumdar, managing associate of Unicorn India Ventures, stated, “We consider revolutionary companies in area tech will drive India’s international dominance on this sector. This funding will assist increase on-orbit servicing capabilities.”
This sentiment was additionally reciprocated by Sakthikumar R, founder and CEO of OrbitAID Aerospace.
Based on projections by the All India Affiliation of Industries, India’s aerospace and defence market might attain $70 billion by 2030. OrbitAID is poised to capitalise on vital alternatives on this rising sector.
Beforehand…
Round ten months in the past, the corporate additionally introduced that it had secured a $540,000 pre-seed fund with help from the Tamil Nadu authorities, StartupTN, and TANSIM.
The state’s initiatives, together with a brand new spaceport, an industrial hub for area manufacturing, and a propellant park, underscore its dedication to establishing itself as a pacesetter in aerospace and sustainability.
In its announcement, OrbitAID highlighted its collaboration with organisations comparable to ISRO, TIDCO, and IN-SPACe and emphasised the corporate’s function in driving innovation and sustainable area operations.
The corporate expressed gratitude to its supporters and companions, together with trade associations, analysis establishments, and startups, who’ve contributed to its progress.
OrbitAID, based in 2021 by Sakthikumar R, Nikhil Balasubramanian, and Mano Okay, is growing a community of gasoline stations in area to increase satellite tv for pc lifespans and cut back area particles.
Its SIDRP know-how, efficiently examined in zero-gravity circumstances, allows seamless satellite tv for pc servicing and goals to rework sustainable area operations.
Within the area of decreasing area particles, ISRO is making massive achievements as nicely. As a part of the organisation’s latest SpaDeX (Area Docking Experiment) mission, it launched the ‘Particles Seize Robotic Manipulator’.
Demonstrating tethered particles seize in area utilizing visible servoing, movement prediction, and a parallel end-effector for exact manipulation.
#SpaceTech #Robotics #ISRO pic.twitter.com/TJSa4C06VB
— ISRO (@isro) January 6, 2025
Developed by ISRO’s Vikram Sarabhai Area Centre (VSSC), the experiment centered on demonstrating the aptitude to seize tethered particles in area utilizing visible servoing and object movement prediction.
Following the profitable demonstration of this experiment, the manipulator might be additional refined to seize free-floating particles and carry out crucial duties comparable to refuelling each tethered and free-floating spacecraft.
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