28-05-2025
Former ISRO scientists' startup Orbitt Space raises $1 million from Pi Ventures, IIMA Ventures
Orbitt Space
, a
space tech startup
founded by former Indian Space Research Organisation (
ISRO
) scientists, has raised $1 million in a pre-seed funding round led by
Pi Ventures
, with participation from IIMA Ventures.
The Ahmedabad-based startup, founded by Christopher Parmar and Anupam Kumar, will use the funds to accelerate the design and development of its proprietary
electric propulsion technology
and avionics systems.
Parmar and Kumar spent over eight years at ISRO, specialising in satellite design, testing, and deployment, before launching Orbitt Space in March 2025.
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'When we were at ISRO, we began to identify some of the challenges in the conventional space market. One of the biggest is that
low earth orbit
is becoming increasingly congested, creating manoeuvrability and control issues for new satellite launches,' Parmar told ET.
To address this, Orbitt is developing an air-breathing electric propulsion system and a next-generation satellite bus platform designed specifically for ultra low earth orbit (ULEO) — altitudes below 250 km.
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This zone remains largely untapped due to high atmospheric drag and fuel constraints. Also, Orbitt's propulsion system claims to use residual atmospheric gases as propellant, eliminating the need for onboard fuel.
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The funding comes amid a broader push to enhance India's satellite-based intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities in response to rising geopolitical and border concerns.
Parmar added that when paired with a high-agility, 200 kg-class satellite bus, Orbitt's technology could enable high-performance earth observation, low-latency telecommunications, climate monitoring, surveillance, and scientific missions.
Currently in its development phase, Orbitt plans to move next to in-orbit demonstrations to validate performance, followed by the commercial rollout of its ULEO satellite platform.
The company also plans to expand its team by hiring scientists and engineers and begin testing its first prototype.
In March, Union minister Jitendra Singh
announced a Rs 1,000 crore funding scheme
for space startups, to be managed by Sidbi Venture Capital.
'India's deep-rooted excellence in spacetech, led by ISRO, is now fuelling a new wave of private innovation. Orbitt Space is poised to disrupt the satellite market by pioneering access to ULEO to deliver better performance and lower costs for satellite operators,' said Shubham Sandeep, managing director at Pi Ventures.
