Unlike most other space-tech ventures that stick to low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite operations, Ahmedabad-headquartered Orbitt Space is going for the sub-250 km zone — ultra-low earth orbit (ULEO) — which largely remains untapped due to challenges such as high atmospheric drag and fuel constraints.
Co-founders Christopher Parmar and Anupam Kumar had each spent over eight years at ISRO, specialising in satellite design, testing, and deployment. They left the national space agency in February 2025 and launched their startup a month later.
“Mega constellations like Starlink and OneWeb have launched thousands of satellites into the low-orbit space. In the last decade, this space has accumulated over 20,000 space objects and 10 cm high debris. We wondered whether operating in the same orbit over the next 10 years would be sustainable, given the growing risk of satellite collisions,” Parmar says.
The ULEO zone presents a self-regulating solution to space debris, since satellites here are naturally de-orbited — burn up in the earth’s atmosphere — post mission. Other advantages from this zone include sharper imaging, reduced signal latency, and radiation protection, enabling the use of cost-effective commercial electronics.
On the flip side, in this zone the atmosphere — though extremely thin — still contains enough residual molecules to create a drag on satellites.
To maintain a stable orbit, they require constant thrust compensation, typically through onboard propulsion systems.
In the near-vacuum LEO there is negligible atmospheric drag, making propulsion less critical for orbit maintenance.
Early to the race
“We are building a new propulsion technology that can compensate for the drag in the ULEO, giving the satellite a lifetime of five to seven years,” Parmar explains.
The company’s electric propulsion system uses residual atmospheric gases as propellant, eliminating the need for onboard fuel.
Paired with a high-agility, 200 kg satellite bus, Orbitt will offer services ranging from earth observation to low-latency telecommunications, climate monitoring, surveillance, and scientific missions, Parmar says.
Orbitt aims to prototype its technology in the coming year, followed by the qualification process, which includes rigorous testing of subsystems under a range of environmental conditions.
The CEO says the company is also planning a parallel technology demonstration mission. “This mission will allow us to test its performance under real atmospheric conditions.” The goal is to commercialise the technology within four years after the qualification.
Support ecosystem
In May, Orbitt Space raised $1 million in a pre-seed funding round led by pi Ventures, with participation from IIMA Ventures. The company said the money will be deployed to accelerate the designing and development of its proprietary electric propulsion technology and avionics systems, build a core team of scientists and engineers, and the testing of its prototype.
Parmar says the company will use the facilities provided by the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) to fabricate and test space hardware. ISRO experts will offer technical support.
“IN-SPACe will be pivotal for our success and development process,” he adds.
IIM-Ahmedabad is currently mentoring the company in building and scaling up a deep-tech, long-gestation startup — right from team building to policy creation.