OrbitAID Aerospace has won the Indo-Australian Space MAITRI grant. The company will deploy India’s first in-orbit docking and refueling interface. The system is called the Standard Interface for Docking and Refueling Port, or SIDRP. The first deployment is planned on an Australian mission in 2026.
SIDRP is OrbitAID’s proprietary docking and refueling port. The company describes dual-docking redundancy and a safe transfer port, and it promotes drop-in integration with existing connectors while offering ground and in-orbit services.
The MAITRI partnership tasks OrbitAID with more than a hardware delivery, as the startup will run the commercial ground fueling campaign for the mission. The goal is to connect propellant logistics on Earth with refueling operations in orbit. OrbitAID will build a full propellant supply chain for the mission. The work links fueling on the ground to refueling in orbit. The aim is longer satellite life and better mission economics.
OrbitAID has tested SIDRP in microgravity. In December 2024 the team completed a zero-gravity flight in Florida. The company said the test validated docking, refueling, and proximity operations. A second zero-gravity mission took place six months later. It was part of the company’s plan to validate SIDRP under real space-like conditions.
The startup has expanded facilities to support this work. A new R&D centre opened in Bengaluru in September 2025. The site includes RPOD infrastructure, a cleanroom, and fuel transfer systems. SIDRP has reached Technology Readiness Level seven. That means a system prototype has worked in a relevant environment. The company is preparing to move to full in-orbit qualification.
OrbitAID’s leadership includes founder and CEO Sakthikumar R, co-founders Nikhil Balasubramanian and Mano Balaji K, and On-Orbit Mission Director Anil Kumar Bhandiwad, a former ISRO scientist. OrbitAID has raised $2.04 million across two rounds. The latest was a $1.5 million pre-seed round led by Unicorn India Ventures with support from Tamil Nadu.
The company’s approach is simple. Build hardware that works, prove it under real conditions, then scale. That method has helped it move fast without unnecessary complexity. The success of SIDRP will show how far Indian private space companies have come. It will also open new business opportunities in refueling, life extension, and servicing.
The OrbitAID project joins a growing list of private contributions to India’s space program. It reflects how smaller firms are now building technology once limited to national agencies. This story is about technical progress with a clear timeline. OrbitAID has a grant, a mission, a working product, and a test record. The next steps are integration and launch.
If the mission succeeds, it will mark the first time an Indian-developed system performs refueling in orbit. It will also place India among the few countries with both docking and refueling capability. For the space industry, that is a major shift. Satellites will last longer. Launches will become more planned and less reactive. Space will become a little more sustainable.
OrbitAID’s progress shows how focused engineering and international cooperation can produce results. It is a step toward a new class of reusable and serviceable space systems.
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