Indian deep tech startup Aule Space raises $2 million
With this funding, the Bangalore-based company will expand its engineering team, build ground infrastructure for docking tests, and advance development of its first demonstration satellites, set to launch next year.
Indian deep tech startup Aule Space has raised USD 2 million in pre-seed funding led by pi Ventures, with participation from a clutch of angel investors including Eash Sundaram, former Board Member of Intelsat and Founder of Utpata Ventures, and Arvind Lakshmikumar, CEO of defence tech company Tonbo Imaging, among others.
With this funding, Aule Space will expand its engineering team, build ground infrastructure for docking tests, and advance development of its first demonstration satellites, set to launch next year, the Bangalore-based company said in a press release.
These satellites will validate Rendezvous, Proximity Operations and Docking (RPOD) — the capability for spacecraft to safely approach, maneuver near, and physically attach to other objects in orbit.
Aule’s innovation centres on developing a satellite-agnostic docking mechanism combined with advanced AI-driven Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) algorithms, enabling them to make light and cost efficient fleets of RPOD enabled satellites, the company said.
The technology has commercial and use cases such as life extension of high-value geostationary (GEO) communication satellites and debris removal and defence applications such as inspection of satellites for space domain awareness. A key differentiator for Aule is its focus on non-cooperative docking, which allows its jetpacks to attach to legacy satellites that were not designed for servicing, the company said.
“Imagine buying an expensive car and abandoning it when the fuel runs out. This is how satellites worth over $100 billion are operated today, we want to change that,” said Jay, Co-founder and CEO of Aule Space. “With launch costs coming down drastically, new forms of value generation will be unlocked in space. Large space assets that enable this will require routine assembly and service in space, for which our RPOD capabilities will be the key building block.”
“Aule Space is reimagining how satellites operate in orbit through its foundational RPOD technology, enabling safer, more cost-efficient, and sustainable access to space,” said Manish Singhal, Founding Partner at pi Ventures. “We believe Aule is building critical infrastructure that will underpin the next phase of the space economy across satellite servicing, orbital sustainability, and space security.”
