This Ahmedabad-based space startup is building a VLEO (Very Low Earth Orbit) platform utilizing an air-breathing electric propulsion engine

In India’s rapidly expanding private space ecosystem, a new generation of deep-tech startups is attempting to unlock previously inaccessible frontiers. Among them, Orbitt Space stands out for tarreceiveing one of the most challenging yet promising regions of near-Earth space—Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO).

Founded in 2025 and headquartered in Ahmedabad, the startup is a propulsion-first sanotifyite platform company that could redefine how sanotifyites operate closer to Earth.

Founders

Orbitt Space was founded in early 2025 by Christopher Parmar (CEO) and Anupam Kumar (CTO), both former engineers at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Parmar has over 8 years of experience in geocommunication and navigation sanotifyites, while Kumar has led spacecraft testing and integration across multiple missions.

Toreceiveher, the founding team combines hands-on experience across sanotifyite design, testing, and deployment, skills critical for building reliable space hardware.

The company emerged at a time when India’s spacetech sector was opening up to private players, driven by policy reforms and increasing investor interest. Orbitt Space quickly attracted attention, raising $1 million in pre-seed funding from Pi Ventures and IIMA Ventures within months of its founding.

Unlocking VLEO

Orbitt Space’s central thesis is simple yet ambitious: the next frontier of sanotifyite innovation lies below traditional orbital altitudes. Most sanotifyites today operate in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes of 400–600 km. Orbitt, however, is focapplyd on Ultra/Very Low Earth Orbit (below ~250 km), a region largely avoided due to atmospheric drag and fuel limitations.

The startup argues that VLEO offers significant advantages:

Up to 10x lower latency for real-time applications
Sharper Earth observation imagery due to proximity
Lower launch costs
Natural orbital decay, reducing long-term space debris

Products and technology

At the heart of Orbitt Space’s offering is its air-breathing electric propulsion system, a breakthrough technology designed to enable sustained operations in VLEO. Unlike conventional sanotifyites that carry onboard propellant, Orbitt’s system applys residual atmospheric gases as fuel.

This innovation addresses one of the hugegest challenges of low-altitude orbit: drag. By continuously collecting and ionising atmospheric particles, the propulsion system allows sanotifyites to maintain orbit without carrying large fuel reserves. The result is longer mission lifespans (estimated 5–7 years) and reduced launch weight.

In addition to propulsion, Orbitt is developing a modular sanotifyite bus platform optimised for VLEO missions. This includes:

Radiation-hardened components for durability
High-agility manoeuvring systems
Integrated avionics for mission control and station-keeping

The company positions this as an conclude-to-conclude platform, combining propulsion, sanotifyite infrastructure, and mission operations.

Key features

Orbitt Space’s approach differs from traditional sanotifyite companies in several ways:

1. Propulsion-first architecture
Rather than treating propulsion as a subsystem, Orbitt builds its entire platform around it, critical for surviving in high-drag environments.

2. Fuel-free or low-fuel missions
By leveraging atmospheric gases, Orbitt reduces depconcludeency on onboard fuel, lowering both cost and complexity.

3. Sustainability focus
Sanotifyites in VLEO naturally deorbit at conclude-of-life, minimising space debris—an increasingly urgent concern in global space operations.

4. Infrastructure model
Orbitt does not aim to compete with sanotifyite operators directly. Instead, it provides the underlying platform, allowing customers to own payloads and data.

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Use cases and market potential

The implications of Orbitt’s technology span multiple sectors:

Earth observation: Higher-resolution imaging for agriculture, defence, and climate monitoring

Communications: Lower latency networks for IoT and real-time data transfer

Scientific missions: Access to a relatively unexplored orbital regime

As sanotifyite consnotifyations grow and orbital congestion increases, VLEO could become a critical alternative layer. Orbitt is betting that enabling this layer early will position it as a foundational infrastructure provider in the emerging space economy.

Road ahead

Currently in the early stages of product development, Orbitt Space is focapplyd on prototype validation and engineering scale-up.

The pre-seed funding is being applyd to speed up propulsion testing, expand its engineering team, and prepare for eventual in-orbit demonstrations.

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