Inbound Aerospace raises $1 mn pre-seed round led by Speciale Invest

Space tech startup will use capital for developing autonomous reusable re-entry vehicles

Inbound Aerospace, a space technology startup incubated by Indian Institute of Technology Madras, has raised more than $1 million in a pre-seed funding round led by Speciale Invest and participation from Piper Serica.

 

The company is developing autonomous and reusable re-entry vehicles for in-orbit experiments, microgravity experiments, and commercial space research. It was founded by Aravind I B, Vishal Reddy, and Abhijit Bhutey in 2025.

 

Inbound will use the funding for developing re-entry spacecraft, “validating key sub-systems, and achieving critical design review milestones”, it said. The company’s technology is “uniquely positioned” for microgravity infrastructure as the International Space Station (ISS) nears decommissioning in 2030. (Microgravity is not a complete absence of gravity, but rather a state of continuous freefall, commonly experienced by astronauts and equipment aboard orbiting 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, cofounder and chief executive officer of Inbound Aerospace.

 

 “We believe re-entry vehicles will become foundational infrastructure for the microgravity economy. Inbound’s deep technology ambition spanning autonomy, material science, and systems engineering is bold and timely. We’re backing this team because they are not just thinking of access to space, but access back from space, which is equally critical for a sustainable orbital economy," said Vishesh Rajaram, Managing Partner at Speciale Invest.

 

This marks Speciale Invest’s sixth investment in space tech, reinforcing its position as a leading early-stage investor in India's new-space movement. With the Government of India’s Bio3E policy (2024) and the growing interest in space-enabled pharma, biotech, and material science research, Inbound’s re-entry vehicles could become key enablers of in-orbit experimentation and commercial-scale manufacturing.

 

Inbound was the only Indian finalist at Japan’s S-Booster 2025, a prestigious space-business idea competition hosted by the cabinet office of Japan. It aims to launch its first re-entry multi-use variable-gravity platform mission by the first quarter of 2028.