Alibaba, China Mobile back Tsinghua space-robot startup Xianyin's Series A
What's the deal? Xianyin Future TechnologyDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a Chinese startup building cable-driven flexible space robots, has raised a Series A led by Alibaba and the China MobileDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → Chain Chief Fund. Hongtai FundDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Zhuhai Technology Industry Group, and Yuansheng CapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → also joined the round.
Why now? The Series A caps an unusually fast run: Xianyin closed three rounds — angel, Pre-A, and Series A — in four months from May, totalling several hundred million yuan. The company, founded in September 2025, spun out of a team led by Tsinghua University professor Liang Bin and the Jianghuai Frontier Technology Collaborative Innovation Center.
What's the endgame? Xianyin targets in-orbit servicing of space assets. Its three business lines are in-orbit refuelling to extend satellite lifespans, assisted deorbiting of failed and retired satellites, and in-orbit inspection and maintenance.
What's behind the tech? The founding team has spent more than 20 years developing space robots and hyper-redundant flexible manipulators, drawing talent from Tsinghua and the Harbin Institute of Technology. It has participated in national in-orbit verification projects.
Who else is in? Earlier backers include Lanchi VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Hillhouse's venture arm, and BluerunDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, which led the angel round alongside industry players such as AgiBot and Trina Solar. Huacape CapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → led the Pre-A round.
What could go wrong? The core technology remains unproven in orbit. Xianyin plans a space rendezvous and docking demonstration in 2027 to test its flexible robots in a real space environment — a milestone still more than a year out.
The signal: The speed and the investor roster — two of China's largest corporates plus leading venture firms — point to growing conviction in commercial space servicing as orbital infrastructure scales. Xianyin is now courting orbital-transfer and compute firms as potential customers.
Read more: sohu.com
Image credit: NASA Goddard Photo and Video
