Propulsion & spacecraft systems
OrbitAID Aerospace
Chennai company building the SIDRP satellite docking-and-refuelling port; its first satellite, AayulSAT, was lost when ISRO's PSLV-C62 failed on 12 January 2026.
OrbitAID Aerospace works on refuelling satellites after they reach orbit. Founded in 2021 by Sakthikumar Ramachandran, Nikhil Balasubramanian and Mano Balaji K, the Chennai company's central product is SIDRP, the Standard Interface Docking and Refuelling Port: a docking interface combining a satellite fill-and-drain valve with a dual docking mechanism and built-in redundancies, meant to let a servicing module latch onto a client satellite and pass propellant across. Around it OrbitAID is building tanker satellites, a soft-capture robotic arm with an internal fluid pathway, and a turnkey refuellable propulsion system that operators can fit to their own spacecraft.
The hardware has been through two parabolic-flight campaigns. The company said in December 2024 that SIDRP had passed a zero-gravity flight test in Florida, with Ramachandran and Balasubramanian aboard the aircraft; its own mission list dates that campaign, Zero-G1, to November 2024 and describes controller-based refuelling and pose estimation against a satellite mock-up. Zero-G2 followed in May 2025 with autonomous docking, fluid-slosh work and vision-based tracking of a tumbling target. In March 2026 the Technology Development Board of the Department of Science and Technology said it had extended financial assistance for a project titled “Development of Docking and Refueling Systems for In-Space Life Extension of Satellites”, and described SIDRP as a Technology Readiness Level 7 system that approaches a target using LiDAR, optical and infrared sensors before soft capture. OrbitAID's own technology page claims TRL 9 for the docking interface, a higher rating than the government release gives.
The first flight article did not survive its launch. AayulSAT, a demonstrator flying propane as a non-toxic test propellant, lifted off on ISRO's PSLV-C62 from Sriharikota on 12 January 2026 as one of 15 co-passengers to the DRDO Earth-observation satellite EOS-N1. Near the end of the third stage's burn a deviation appeared in the flight controls related to roll rates, the vehicle left its path and never reached orbital velocity. Hindustan Times reported that 15 of the 16 satellites aboard were lost, AayulSAT among them, with only the Spanish Orbital Paradigm re-entry capsule separating and transmitting. It was the PSLV's second consecutive third-stage failure after PSLV-C61 in May 2025; the failure analysis committee reported on 13 June 2026, and the minister for the Department of Space said the cause had been identified but could not be disclosed publicly. The mission had been billed as India's first on-orbit refuelling demonstration, with a year-long plan of repeated internal propellant transfers before a chaser satellite arrived to dock with it.
Money and contracts have come from a mix of private and public sources. A $1.5 million pre-seed round closed on 15 January 2025, led by Unicorn India Ventures with the Tamil Nadu Startup and Innovation Mission taking part, and the company said it would use the money to run an in-orbit docking and refuelling demonstration within 12 months. The Economic Times put total funding at $2.04 million across two rounds in October 2025. That month OrbitAID announced a partnership under the Indo-Australian Space MAITRI grant, signed at the International Astronautical Congress in Sydney, to fly SIDRP on a mission operated by Australia's Space Machines Company and to lead the ground fuelling campaign feeding it. The company had shortly before opened commercial testing and rendezvous-and-docking facilities in Bengaluru, and says it is working towards a constellation of tanker satellites acting as orbital fuel stations by 2027. Before the January 2026 launch, Ramachandran said a chaser satellite would follow by the end of 2026 to rendezvous with AayulSAT and dock with it.
What they build and operate
- SIDRP · Component · In development
Standard Interface Docking and Refuelling Port: a 250 g dual docking interface with a maximum expected operating pressure of 35 bar, built for bidirectional transfer of more than 10 propellants between spacecraft.[14][12] - AayulSAT · Satellite · Retired
Tanker demonstrator flying propane as a non-toxic test propellant, built to demonstrate on-orbit propellant, power and data transfer; lost in the PSLV-C62 launch failure on 12 January 2026.[1][7][8] - Tanker satellite · Satellite · In development
Mass-produced class-1 tanker satellites carrying SIDRP to deliver propellant across orbits; the company is working towards a constellation acting as orbital fuel stations by 2027.[13][5] - Soft-capture robotic arm · Component · In development
Multi-jointed robotic arm with six-axis manoeuvrability and an internal fluid pathway for fuel transfer, intended for servicing, refuelling and docking tasks, according to the company's technology page.[13][14] - Turnkey refuellable propulsion system · Engine · In development
Integrated propulsion and docking suite with built-in valves and an integrated SIDRP, offered as a drop-in fit for a customer's satellite, according to the company's technology page.[13][14]
Funding
- 15 January 2025 · Pre-seed
$1.5 million — Unicorn India Ventures, Tamil Nadu Startup and Innovation Mission[3][4]
Milestones
- 23 December 2024
Said its patented SIDRP had cleared a zero-gravity flight test in Florida, with the founder and the chief operating officer aboard; the company dates that campaign, Zero-G1, to November 2024.[2][13] - 15 January 2025
Raised a $1.5 million pre-seed round led by Unicorn India Ventures with the Tamil Nadu Startup and Innovation Mission, and said it would conduct an in-orbit docking and refuelling demonstration within 12 months.[3][4] - May 2025
Completed Zero-G2, a second parabolic-flight campaign validating autonomous docking and fluid transfer with vision-based pose estimation of a tumbling target.[13] - 09 October 2025
Announced a partnership under the Indo-Australian Space MAITRI grant, signed at the International Astronautical Congress in Sydney, to fly SIDRP on a Space Machines Company mission and lead its ground fuelling campaign.[5] - 12 January 2026
AayulSAT, the company's first satellite, was lost when ISRO's PSLV-C62 suffered a third-stage anomaly and failed to reach orbit; 15 of the 16 satellites aboard were reported lost.[8][9][11] - 12 March 2026
The Technology Development Board of the Department of Science and Technology announced financial assistance for OrbitAID's docking and refuelling project, describing SIDRP as a Technology Readiness Level 7 system.[12]
Facilities
- Bengaluru testing and RPOD facility · Bengaluru, Karnataka
Commercial facilities for testing and for rendezvous, proximity operations and docking systems, reported as recently inaugurated in October 2025.[5]
Leadership
- Sakthikumar Ramachandran
Founder and chief executive officer (as of 11 January 2026)[1][7] - Nikhil Balasubramanian
Co-founder and chief operating officer (as of 23 December 2024)[2][4]
Sources
Business StandardSpace startup OrbitAid to showcase in-orbit refuelling tech for satellitesbusiness-standard.com
Business StandardIndian startup OrbitAID's patented tech clears zero gravity test in Floridabusiness-standard.com
Business StandardSpacetech startup OrbitAID raises $1.5 million in pre-seed funding roundbusiness-standard.com
The Hindu BusinessLineChennai space tech start-up OrbitAID raises seed fundingthehindubusinessline.com
The Economic TimesSpacetech startup OrbitAID wins Indo-Australian MAITRI grant, to deploy India's first in-orbit refuelling interfaceeconomictimes.indiatimes.com
India TodayIsro to launch startup's satellite refuelling mission with PSLV-C62: What is it?indiatoday.in
India TodayThis Indian satellite will test refuelling like planes then become a space targetindiatoday.in
Hindustan Times15 satellites lost, but 'KID' made its way out: The outlier in ISRO PSLV C62 mission setbackhindustantimes.com
Forbes IndiaPSLV-C62 encounters an anomaly during third-stage flightforbesindia.com
The HinduWhat happened to ISRO's PSLV-C62 mission? | Explainedthehindu.com
WikipediaPSLV-C62en.wikipedia.org
Press Information BureauTDB-DST supports OrbitAID Aerospace Pvt. Ltd. for development of indigenous on-orbit satellite docking and refueling technologypib.gov.in
OrbitAID AerospaceOfficial siteorbitaid.com
OrbitAID AerospaceTechnologyorbitaid.com
OrbitAID AerospaceNewsroomorbitaid.com
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