InspeCity's propulsion system after functional and environmental testing clearance.
New Delhi, India – Spacetech startup InspeCity has successfully raised ₹100 Crore (approximately $10.4 million) in a pre-Series A funding round. The investment was co-led by veteran investor Ashish Kacholia and Speciale Invest, with participation from Antler India, Shastra VC, and existing backers.
The funding will be strategically deployed over the next 12 to 18 months to support four in-orbit missions. These missions are crucial for advancing InspeCity’s in-space servicing technologies towards flight qualification and commercial deployment. The company also plans to expand its engineering team.
Arindrajit Chowdhury, co-founder of InspeCity, highlighted the startup’s focus on three key areas: government-backed research and development projects, upcoming space missions, and the productionization of its propulsion systems. The planned missions aim to demonstrate the company’s capabilities in rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO), propulsion, and robotics. Some missions will involve single satellites, while others will require the deployment of both target and chaser satellites.
InspeCity has completed functional and environmental testing of its propulsion system and received necessary clearances from ISRO laboratories. “We have now cleared all the functional and environmental testing and received clearances from all the ISRO labs. We are at a stage where we can integrate the propulsion system with the satellite and fly it,” Chowdhury stated.
Founded in 2022 by Arindrajit Chowdhury and Tausif Shaikh, InspeCity specializes in in-orbit satellite servicing and deorbiting solutions. The company’s broader in-space servicing stack includes GITA for spacecraft propulsion and mobility, CHAKSU for sensing and proximity operations, RAMA for robotic manipulation, and SPARSH for cooperative docking and in-orbit propellant transfer.
This latest funding round follows a $5.6 million seed funding round last year, also led by Ashish Kacholia. The investment underscores the growing investor interest in India’s burgeoning spacetech sector, which is benefiting from policy reforms, cost advantages, and a strong pool of engineering talent. Recent developments in the sector include 360 ONE Asset’s launch of a defense and space strategy fund and Skyroot Aerospace achieving unicorn status.
The Indian space economy is projected to reach a valuation of $44 billion by 2033, indicating significant growth potential for companies like InspeCity.
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