Promoting Indigenous Space-Tech

ISRO Chairman Dr. V. Narayanan Inaugurates Space Tech Startup OrbitAID’s New R&D Facility in Bengaluru

It is matter of great pride that OrbitAID Aerospace, India’s first space-tech startup in the field of On-Orbit Servicing and Refueling (OOSR), on September 17 inaugurated its state-of-the-art Research and Development (R&D) facility spanning 6500 sq.ft in Bengaluru with an investment of over $2 million to extend the lifetime refueling services to current and upcoming satellites.

The R&D facility was officially opened by Dr. V. Narayanan, Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), who unveiled OrbitAID’s next chapter of innovation and growth in the upcoming years. This facility is India’s largest commercial and one of the world’s biggest for Rendezvous Proximity Operations & Docking (RPOD) infrastructure, for servicing and refueling operations.

Through this facility, OrbitAID will extend lifetime refueling services for current and upcoming satellites.

The facility consists of a high end control room for operating the RPOD facility, class 10000 cleanroom, and fuel transfer facilities for assembling and integrating its satellites. OrbitAID’s new R&D center represents a significant step in India’s journey towards space sustainability at a global stage after the success of ISRO’s SPADeX mission.

This would be India’s largest and one of the world’s biggest for Rendezvous Proximity Operations & Docking (RPOD) infrastructure.

Encouraged by the success of ISRO’s SPADeX mission, OrbitAID’s new R&D center represents a significant step in India’s journey toward space sustainability at a global stage.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. V. Narayanan, Chairman, ISRO congratulated the OrbitAID team on their achievement and emphasized the importance of developing technologies such as docking & refueling interfaces and the significance of providing services such as life extension for satellites in shaping the future of India’s space ecosystem. He also spoke about how ISRO has recently opened up to private players in the space ecosystem & in the upcoming missions, ISRO will also invite companies specialising in On-Orbit Servicing and Refueling (OOSR) technologies to work with the organisation.

Sakthikumar Ramachandran, Founder & CEO, OrbitAID, said, “This facility begins a new story in OrbitAID’s journey in making India, the champion of space sustainability at a global stage. With this new development and our TRL 7 docking and refueling interface SIDRP, we are positioned to provide life extension services for the current and upcoming satellites in both Indian and global markets.”

OrbitAID, which raised initial funding earlier this year from Unicorn India Ventures, is also planning to expand its footprint in Tamil Nadu, where the company will establish a manufacturing facility to build India’s first private propellant handling and satellite servicing hub with an aim to build a circular economy for the global space tech ecosystem. The Company will strengthen collaborations with local universities, startups, and global partners.

Together, the Bengaluru facility and the upcoming Tamil Nadu expansion will serve as cornerstones for developing and validating critical subsystems, laying the foundation for OrbitAID’s future missions and India’s leadership in OOSR technologies.

Bhaskar Majumdar, Managing Partner, Unicorn India Ventures, added, “We are proud to be one of the early backers of OrbitAID. They have demonstrated that audacious goals can be achieved without becoming a capital guzzling machine. The discipline and focus of the team has led them to open a state of the art R&D facility and to have it inaugurated by Dr Narayanan is just the encouragement and inspiration OrbitAID needed. We congratulate them and will continue to back Sakthi in his future expansion plans.”

The inauguration was also graced by the presence of His Excellency Achim Burkart, Consul General of Federal Republic of Germany, His Excellency Mr. Giandomenico Milano, Consul General of the Italian Republic, His Excellency Beat Schmid, Deputy Consul General of the Swiss Federation, and Mr.Sivarajah Ramanathan from StartupTN and Shreya Ganesh from Unicorn India Ventures. Also, officials from ISRO, Indian Space Association (ISpA), defence officials, policymakers, academia, and executives from the space ecosystem were also present during the opening ceremony.

It may be noted that OrbitAID Aerospace Pvt Ltd is a pioneering Indian startup focused on advancing sustainable space operations through innovative on-orbit fueling solutions. The company is developing a cutting-edge fuel station in space, designed to extend the lifespan of satellites by enabling efficient refueling and maintenance. With its patented Standard Interface Docking and Refueling Port (SIDRP), OrbitAID aims to ensure sustainable satellite operations, reduce space debris, and enhance the long-term viability of space infrastructure. Supported by investors like TANSIM and Unicorn India Ventures, OrbitAID’s solutions cater to both commercial and defence sectors, positioning the company as a leader in sustainable space technology.

As regards the About Unicorn India Ventures, it started in 2016 by Bhaskar Majumdar and Anil Joshi. It is a technology focused early-stage venture fund that invests in emerging and visionary startups.

Unicorn India Ventures launched its first fund with a corpus of Rs 100 crore and invested in 17 companies like SmartCoin, Open Bank, Sequretek, Pharmarack, Genrobotics, Clootrack, FutureCure to mention some. The Fund has emerged as the best performing early-stage fund in India with the stellar exits provided by the fund to its LPs.

Fund II is a Rs 300 Cr fund launched in 2020 that has invested in 20 companies so far like Gamerji, Probus, Daalchini, Windo, HiWi. Most of the portfolio is scaling up fast and has had several uprounds.

Unicorn India Ventures is closing its Rs 1000 Cr Fund III. The first close was reached at Rs 225 crore. The Fund is expected to reach its final close this year. With this Fund, UIV aims to build a portfolio of 20 startups that are focused mostly in the deep tech sector that includes semiconductor, space tech, and medical diagnostics apart from SaaS and India digital platforms.

Unicorn has already made 15 investments from this fund and includes companies like Netrasami, Qubehealth, Orbitaid, Aurassure amongst others.