Orbitt Space Raises $1M to Pioneer Air-Breathing Satellite Tech

Orbitt Space, a pioneering Ahmedabad-based spacetech startup founded by former ISRO scientists, has raised $1 million in a pre-seed round led by pi Ventures, with participation from IIMA Ventures. The funding will accelerate the development of an innovative air-breathing electric propulsion system for satellites operating in Ultra Low Earth Orbit (ULEO), a region below 250 km altitude that remains largely untapped.

Founded by Christopher Parmar and Anupam Kumar in early 2025, Orbitt is building next-gen satellite platforms equipped with electric propulsion that uses residual atmospheric gases instead of onboard fuel. This breakthrough could enable 5–7 years of sustainable satellite operations in high-drag ULEO environments, overcoming current challenges in space debris and fuel limitations.

Tapping the Untouched: Why ULEO is the Next Big Leap

Low Earth Orbit (LEO) has become crowded and hazardous, with over 40,000 tracked objects and millions of debris fragments. ULEO offers a natural deorbiting solution and unique benefits such as sharper imaging, lower signal latency, and protection from radiation—allowing the use of cost-effective commercial electronics.

Orbitt’s air-breathing propulsion system and its agile 200kg-class satellite bus promise to enable missions in earth observation, low-latency telecommunications, climate monitoring, surveillance, and scientific research—without contributing to orbital pollution.

ISRO-Honed Expertise, Global Ambitions

With deep expertise in satellite system design and testing, the Orbitt team aims to commercialize this tech globally. “ULEO is the cleanest and most strategic orbit, and our propulsion system unlocks it,” said Christopher Parmar, Co-founder & CEO. “This funding propels us toward sustainable, fuel-free satellite operations.”

“Having seen the challenges of satellite longevity firsthand at ISRO, we’re reshaping how space is accessed,” added Anupam Kumar, Co-founder & CTO.

Shubham Sandeep, MD at pi Ventures, stated, “Orbitt is reimagining in-space propulsion by replacing traditional fuel with atmospheric gases. We’re proud to support this bold leap in spacetech.”

Orbitt’s next phase includes in-orbit demonstrations, followed by the commercial rollout of its ULEO satellite platform. The company aims to define a new category of efficient, sustainable space infrastructure and elevate India’s strategic space capabilities.

What  is Air-Breathing Satellite Technology?

It refers to a propulsion system for satellites that operates by collecting and using the residual gases present in the upper atmosphere (like oxygen and nitrogen) as fuel—rather than carrying traditional onboard propellants.

This tech is especially designed for Ultra-Low Earth Orbit (ULEO), altitudes below ~250 km. Here the atmospheric drag is high but some gas molecules still exist. Traditional satellites avoid this region because they would burn through fuel too quickly.  The key benfits of Air-breathing satellite are: longer missions in ULEO, lighter satellites, zero-debris operations, sharper imaging, and faster data relay.

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