InspeCity raises $12M Series A to service satellites in orbit
What's the deal? Indian spacetech startup InspeCity has raised a Rs 100 crore ($12 million) Series A round to move from lab research to active deployment in space. Speciale InvestDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and technology investor Ashish KacholiaDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → led the round, with Antler ElevateDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Antler IndiaDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Manish GandhiDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, and Shastra VCDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → participating.
What's the endgame? The Thane-based firm wants to be an in-orbit service provider — servicing, repairing, and refuelling satellites while they orbit, and removing space debris. Its core product, VEDA (Vehicle for Life Extension and De-orbiting Activities), is an autonomous servicing platform built on propulsion, robotics, and docking technologies.
Where the money goes: Chief executive officer Arindrajit Chowdhury says the first portion will match government grants under India's Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) programme. The second funds InspeCity's first in-orbit missions. The rest expands the team and builds a new research facility.
InspeCity was founded in 2022 by Chowdhury, a professor at IIT Bombay, and Tausif Shaikh, an alumnus of the same institute.
Why now? The commercial space industry is booming, but a rising number of active satellites has led to more hazardous debris. Defunct satellites and fragments threaten collisions that could destroy active infrastructure.
The signal: Rather than constantly launching replacements and adding to orbital clutter, operators want to extend the life of existing assets while cutting costs. "If meaningful economic activity moves beyond Earth, what machines and infrastructure must exist first?" Chowdhury said — a question that points to a growing market for in-space servicing.
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Image credit: NASA Goddard Photo and Video
