Inbound Aerospace, an IIT Madras-incubated space-tech startup, has raised over $1 million in a pre-seed funding round led by deeptech-focused VC firm Speciale Invest, with participation from Piper Serica.
Founded in 2025 by Aravind I B, Vishal Reddy, and Abhijit Bhutey, Inbound Aerospace is developing autonomous, reusable re-entry vehicles designed for in-orbit experiments, microgravity manufacturing, and commercial space research. The startup aims to fill the growing infrastructure gap in microgravity experimentation as the International Space Station (ISS) heads toward retirement in 2030.
The fresh capital will be deployed to accelerate research and development, validate key subsystems, and achieve critical design milestones for the company’s flagship re-entry spacecraft.
“Microgravity environments are extremely hard to recreate on Earth. Our spacecraft is designed to enable cost-effective, repeatable, and safe return of payloads conducting in-orbit experiments and manufacturing — a capability that’s critical to unlocking the next wave of growth in the space economy,” said Aravind I B, Co-founder and CEO of Inbound Aerospace.
The startup’s platform enables companies and research institutions to conduct in-orbit technology demonstrations and microgravity experiments, with the added advantage of safe payload recovery. This model could significantly shorten product development cycles in industries like pharma, biotech, and advanced materials.
With supportive frameworks such as the Government of India’s Bio3E policy (2024), and rising interest in space-enabled R&D, Inbound Aerospace is well-positioned to emerge as a critical enabler of commercial-scale microgravity research and production.
