Spacetech startup OrbitAID raised $1.5 M funding from Unicorn India Ventures
The pre-seed round of OrbitAID, a spacetech startup based in Chennai, raised $1.5 million under the leadership of Unicorn India Ventures. The Tamil Nadu government, or TANSIM, also participated in the round.
The funds will be used to advance SIDRP (Standard Interface Docking and Refueling Port) to commercial readiness, scale team capabilities, expand facilities for on-orbit servicing operations, and demonstrate docking and refueling operations in space, according to OrbitAID.
OrbitAID, which was founded in 2021 by Sakthikumar R, Nikhil Balasubramanian, and Mano Balaji K, is actively working to build a network of strategically placed fuel stations in space across multiple orbits. The organization’s primary goal was to advance sustainable space operations through creative on-orbit refueling solutions.
The company recently conducted a successful zero-gravity flight in Florida to test its patented SIDRP. The company says it has secured important partnerships and collaborations in the past 12 months and reached Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 7 for docking and refuelling tests.
