Orbitt Space: Powering Communication in Ultra-Low Earth Orbit

Company & Team Introduction

Orbitt Space is an India-based company that was founded in March 2025. It is a private pre-seed stage company that is developing electric propulsion and avionics systems for ultra-low Earth orbit satellites for communications. Orbitt Space currently operates with a team size of sub 10 employees.

Leadership Team:

• Christopher Parmar, CEO & Co-Founder: An ex-ISRO Scientist/Engineer with over 8 years of experience building and testing satellites, having tested more than 10 satellites before launch and delivered over 50 space hardware components.

• Anupam Kumar, CTO & Co-Founder: Also an ex-ISRO Scientist/Engineer, he brings over 8 years of experience building Geo Communication and Navigation satellite systems and has delivered over 100 Flight Model Subsystems.

Product Overview

Orbitt Space is redefining satellite operations by building next-generation propulsion systems to unlock ultra-low Earth orbit (ULEO). Their technology aims to address the challenges of a crowded Low Earth Orbit, which currently has over 20,000 objects larger than 10cm. By enabling operations at 200 km, Orbitt Space provides a self-cleaning and fully sustainable orbital solution. This allows for longer mission durations, improved performance, and simplified satellite architecture, leading to more detailed imagery, faster downlink speeds, and reduced mapping errors.

Key Features and Benefits:

• Ultra-Low Earth Orbit Capabilities: Orbitt Space's propulsion system allows satellites to operate at 200 km orbit, unlocking the lowest Earth orbit.

• Sustainable and Self-Cleaning: The technology promotes a debris-free environment and eliminates end-of-mission deorbit costs, utilizing clean propulsion. This ensures fully sustainable operations.

• Enhanced Performance: Operating in ULEO offers 16x more detailed imagery than LEO, a 900% increase in throughput for the same antenna, and 3x lower latency.

• Simplified Satellite Architecture: The system allows for cheaper and more powerful components, leading to higher reliability.

• Extended Operational Life: Their propulsion system enables 15x longer operation compared to other technologies at the same orbit.

• Diverse Applications: The technology supports various applications including topography surveys, high-speed internet, radar missions, and scientific missions.

• Reduced Radiation: ULEO offers a low radiation environment for satellites.

Market Opportunity

Orbitt’s pioneering electric propulsion and avionics systems are the key to unlocking the vast, untapped potential of Ultra-Low Earth Orbit (ULEO). By enabling satellites to operate sustainably at altitudes around 200 km, Orbitt directly addresses the LEO congestion problem while offering a suite of compelling performance and economic advantages. This positions the company at the forefront of the next wave of space innovation, capturing a pivotal role in a market ripe for disruption.

Key Market Statistics & Opportunities:

A Burgeoning Satellite Market: The global space economy is experiencing exponential growth. The satellite communication market alone is projected to reach $182.7 billion by 2032, growing at a robust CAGR of 9.4%. The LEO satellite market, Orbitt's primary operational domain, is forecast to grow from $11.81 billion in 2025 to $20.69 billion by 2030, reflecting a CAGR of 11.9%. This surge is driven by the deployment of large satellite constellations for two key applications with massive addressable markets:

• Satellite Internet: The global satellite internet market is expected to skyrocket from $14.7 billion in 2023 to $188.2 billion by 2033, boasting a staggering CAGR of 29.04%.

• Earth Observation: The Earth observation market is projected to grow to $7.24 billion by 2030, with a CAGR of 6.2%. The data and analytics segment of this market is expected to witness the highest growth.

The ULEO Advantage: A New Frontier of Performance and Efficiency: Operating in ULEO provides a distinct competitive edge, enabling satellite operators to deliver superior services and achieve greater cost efficiencies.

• Dramatically Enhanced Performance:

  • Superior Imagery: ULEO operations can yield up to 16 times sharper imaging compared to conventional LEO, a critical advantage for high-value Earth observation applications in agriculture, defense, and environmental monitoring.

  • Reduced Latency: The proximity to Earth significantly reduces signal latency, a crucial factor for the burgeoning satellite internet and real-time communication markets.

• Inherent Sustainability and Debris Mitigation:

  • A Self-Cleaning Orbit: The residual atmosphere in ULEO causes satellites to naturally de-orbit at the end of their life, mitigating the growing threat of space debris. This aligns perfectly with the burgeoning space debris mitigation market, projected to reach $2 billion by 2032 with a CAGR of 7.7%.

  • Zero De-orbiting Costs: Orbitts's technology eliminates the need for costly and complex de-orbiting maneuvers, providing a direct and significant economic benefit to satellite operators.

• Improved Cost-Effectiveness and Reliability:

  • Reduced Satellite Complexity: The natural radiation shielding provided by the upper atmosphere in ULEO allows for the use of more cost-effective commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components, simplifying satellite architecture and reducing manufacturing costs.

  • Propellantless Propulsion: Orbitt's air-breathing electric propulsion system eliminates the need for onboard propellant, reducing satellite mass and launch costs, and enabling longer mission durations.

Business Model & Traction

Orbitt Space is operating on a business model focused on developing and supplying specialized electric propulsion and avionics systems for satellites targeting ultra-low Earth orbit (ULEO). This strategy aims to provide a sustainable and high-performance solution for the burgeoning satellite communication market. As a young company founded in March 2025, direct market traction is currently limited. However, the company has successfully raised a $1 million Pre-Seed round, demonstrating early investor confidence. This is significantly bolstered by the strong technical background of its co-founders, Christopher Parmar (CEO) and Anupam Kumar (CTO), both ex-ISRO Scientist/Engineers with over 8 years of experience in building and testing satellites and space hardware. Furthermore, the company is backed by seasoned venture capital firms like Pi Ventures, who led the round, and IIMA Ventures, both known for investing in deep tech and aerospace startups in India.

Competitors

Orbitt Space operates in the highly specialized and competitive field of satellite technology, specifically focusing on electric propulsion and avionics systems for ultra-low Earth orbit (ULEO) satellites. While the provided information does not list specific competitor names, the competitive landscape includes other companies developing propulsion systems for small satellites, as well as those focused on solutions for operating in very low orbits. Orbitt Space differentiates itself by aiming to unlock ULEO with a self-cleaning and fully sustainable orbit solution, offering extended operational lifetimes and enhanced performance.

Key Competitive Areas and Orbitt Space's Differentiation:

• Traditional Satellite Propulsion Manufacturers:

  • Competitive Landscape: This category includes established aerospace companies and newer startups that provide various forms of chemical or electric propulsion systems for satellites. Many focus on a broader range of orbits (LEO, MEO, GEO) and satellite sizes. Their systems may not be optimized for the unique challenges and benefits of sustained operation in ULEO.

  • Orbitt Space's Differentiation: Orbitt Space is specifically targeting ULEO with its advanced electric propulsion, which offers significantly longer operation compared to other technologies at the same orbit. Their "self-cleaning and fully sustainable orbit solution" directly addresses the growing concern of space debris and deorbit costs, which might not be a primary focus for all traditional propulsion providers.

• Companies Developing ULEO-Specific Technologies:

  • Competitive Landscape: A nascent but growing segment includes companies exploring or developing technologies to enable or enhance operations in very low Earth orbits. These might include atmospheric drag compensation systems or alternative propulsion methods designed for dense atmospheric conditions.

  • Orbitt Space's Differentiation: Orbitt Space's focus on "building next generation satellite propulsion that unlocks ultra low earth orbit" with an emphasis on a "self-cleaning and fully sustainable orbit solution" provides a clear differentiator. The promise of 16x more detailed imagery, 900% increased throughput, and 3x lower latency highlights their advantage in performance metrics specifically derived from ULEO operations.

• Satellite Manufacturers & Integrators:

  • Competitive Landscape: These companies build entire satellites and integrate various subsystems, including propulsion. Some might develop in-house propulsion capabilities or partner with external providers. Their focus is on delivering complete satellite systems.

  • Orbitt Space's Differentiation: Orbitt Space provides a specialized, critical component (electric propulsion and avionics systems) that enables superior performance and sustainability for ULEO missions. Their technology allows for simplified satellite architecture, higher reliability of components, and the use of cheaper and more powerful components, which can be a significant value proposition for satellite manufacturers.

Funding

Orbitt Space has successfully completed one funding round, raising a total of $1 million. This Pre-Seed round closed on May 27, 2025 and saw participation from two investors: Pi Ventures, which served as the lead investor, and IIMA Ventures.

Pi Ventures is a venture capital fund based out of India, founded in 2016, with a strong focus on early-stage DeepTech and AI/ML investments. They back companies building "radically better futures" and leveraging cutting-edge technology to solve global problems. Their portfolio includes companies in diverse sectors, including spacetech, as exemplified by their investment in Agnikul Cosmos, a company that develops 3D printed rocket engines. Pi Ventures aims to support disruptive, early-stage companies and believes in India's potential to be a global deep-tech superpower.

IIMA Ventures (formerly IIMA-CIIE) is a technology-focused investment platform based in Ahmedabad, India, established as an accelerator firm in 2007. They are known for evangelizing early-stage venture capital in India for over 15 years, having funded over 340 startups. IIMA Ventures invests at the pre-seed and seed stages, with a broad focus on three thematic areas: DeepTech, Digitization, and Sustainability. They actively support fearless entrepreneurs building disruptive solutions, particularly in frontier tech areas like Aerospace, Biotech, Cleantech, and Life Sciences. Their portfolio includes other aerospace startups like Nabhdrishti Aerospace.