Inbound Aerospace raises $1 mn to build reusable re-entry spacecraft

Business Standard

4 days ago

Inbound Aerospace, an IIT Madras-incubated space-tech startup, has raised over $1 million in a pre-seed funding round led by Speciale Invest, with participation from Piper Serica.
Founded in 2025 by Aravind I B, Vishal Reddy, and Abhijit Bhutey, the company is developing autonomous and reusable re-entry vehicles designed to support in-orbit experiments, microgravity manufacturing, and commercial space research.
The fresh capital will be used to accelerate the R&D of its re-entry spacecraft, validate key sub-systems, and achieve critical design review milestones. Inbound's technology is uniquely positioned to address a growing gap in microgravity infrastructure as the International Space Station (ISS) nears decommissioning in 2030.
'Microgravity environments are extremely hard to recreate on Earth. Our spacecraft is designed to enable cost-effective, repeatable, and safe return of payloads conducting in-orbit experiments and manufacturing — a capability that's critical to unlocking the next wave of growth in the space economy,' said Aravind I B, co-founder and chief executive officer, Inbound Aerospace.
'We believe re-entry vehicles will become foundational infrastructure for the microgravity economy. Inbound's deep-tech ambition spanning autonomy, material science, and systems engineering is bold and timely. We're backing this team because they are not just thinking of access to space, but access back from space, which is equally critical for a sustainable orbital economy,' said Vishesh Rajaram, managing partner, Speciale Invest.
This marks Speciale Invest's sixth investment in the space-tech sector, reinforcing its position as a leading early-stage investor in India's new-space movement. With the Government of India's Bio3E policy (2024) and the growing interest in space-enabled pharma, biotech, and material science research, Inbound's re-entry vehicles could become key enablers of in-orbit experimentation and commercial-scale manufacturing.
Initially pre-incubated at IITM Nirmaan, Inbound Aerospace is now formally housed at the IIT Madras Incubation Cell. The startup was the only Indian finalist at Japan's S-Booster 2025, a prestigious space-business idea competition hosted by the Cabinet Office of Japan. It aims to launch its first re-entry MVP mission by Q1 2028.
Inbound Aerospace is focused on providing a spacecraft platform that utilises the unique microgravity environment of space to manufacture revolutionary products that profoundly impact and improve lives on Earth.
'We take pride in assisting our customers in producing these innovative products in space and bringing them back to Earth, delivering life-transforming benefits. By harnessing the power of space, we aim to bring the advantages of the cosmos right to our planet. Our recoverable spacecraft platform enables customers to conduct in-orbit technology demonstrations and microgravity experiments, accelerating their product development timelines,' said a statement.