Indian space startup Bellatrix Aerospace has raised $20M to begin ramping up production of its in-orbit propulsion tech.
“This round reflects strong conviction in our ability to scale,” CEO and cofounder Rohan Ganapathy said in a statement. “We’ve flight-qualified our core technologies. Now we’re building the production infrastructure to match.”
Cactus Partners led the Pre-Series B round, which also included participation from new investors Hero Investment Office, 35North Ventures, Indusbridge Ventures, and Monarch Holdings. Previous investors—including Inflexor Ventures, Pavestone VC, GrowX, StartupXseed, and Survam Partners—also joined the round.
History lesson: Bellatrix was founded in 2015 with a goal of building Hall-effect thrusters to power a range of orbital missions. In 2022, Bellatrix closed an $8M Series A round—and completed India’s first test of a high-performance propulsion system using green-fuel alternatives.
The company got flight heritage in 2024, qualifying its green and electric propulsion systems in orbit. Since then, Bellatrix has signed agreements to work with several entities, including Astroscale Japan and NewSpace India Limited (ISRO’s commercial branch.)
Bellatrix also launched its Harbinger satellite on today’s Transporter-16 rideshare to test multiple technologies in LEO—including an in-house designed ADCS system—on its pathway to flying future flights at altitudes below LEO.
Going global: Last April, the company expanded internationally, by setting up a subsidiary in the US. At the time, the company said it planned to open a US satellite-production factory, and that it had signed an MOU with a “prominent US satellite manufacturer” that it declined to name.
The new funding is expected to help the company continue to meet sat-building demand, from inside of India and international partners.
“This investment ensures we can fulfill our multi-million-dollar backlog with the speed and margin required for global scale,” Bellatrix cofounder and COO Yashas Karanam said in the same statement.
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