Astrophel Aerospace

Astrophel Aerospace began in 2022 when founder Suyash Bafna, driven by an innate passion for rocket engines, was passed over for a role at a space startup because he had an Electronics and Communications Engineering background. Undeterred, during the height of the pandemic, Suyash continued fine-tuning his rocket designs in late 2021, when COVID was at its peak. Suyash realised that if he seriously wanted to innovate in the aerospace sector, he needed to collaborate with aerospace engineers. That is when he approached Immanuel Louis (now cofounder at Astrophel Aerospace) and MD Taj Baba, a technical advisor, to design a rocket injector from scratch. With nothing to lose, Suyash decided to email the blueprints directly to Dr. Somnath, ex-Chief of ISRO. To their utter surprise, Dr Somnath responded, congratulating them on the ingenuity of their design and encouraged them to pursue their work. That note of encouragement became the spark of motivation for the duo to start Astrophel Aerospace, with the vision of democratising space access and building a world-class aerospace ecosystem in India. While work at Astrophel Aerospace unofficially began in late 2021, the space tech was officially incorporated in December 2022. Armed with some savings, 3D designs and using off-the-shelf components, optimised to aerospace-grade standards, they successfully test-fired a semi-cryogenic engine in August 2023 at a cost of a mere USD 6,000 (approximately INR 5.3 lakhs today). This is a technical milestone that other companies generally achieved only after first raising millions of dollars. After successfully test-firing their semi-cryogenic engine, the team decided that they would enter the ecosystem and build from the ground up and build components in-house. A long-term but sustainable strategy to build the entire rocket propulsion system, including its components and the rocket engine in-house. The strategy was adopted to build an indigenous component ecosystem and keep costs in control. In July 2025, Astrophel Aerospace raised a ₹6.8 Cr (~$800k) pre-seed round, backed by marquee investors and the Government of India (MeitY Samridh) and a clutch of individual investors. Space tech startups focusing on launch services typically require 6 to 8 years of gestation and massive upfront capital before they can even reach orbit. Only then do they begin searching for a market and building trust with customers, which makes the journey long and high-risk. By the time Astrophel Aerospace sends a rocket into space, it will already be a revenue-generating, self-sufficient company that is not solely dependent on external investment or capital. Astrophel Aerospace has already signed an MoU with IN-SPACe, with interest from a listed Indian valve company and a US-based cryogenics company for joint development and supply chain support to further strengthen its path to orbit. Astrophel Aerospace has adopted a different approach. The space tech startup has already begun commercialising critical subsystems such as valves, seals, and cryopumps. Astrophel Aerospace’s goal is to develop a reusable orbital launch vehicle capable of carrying 300 kg to orbit. To derisk this journey, it is developing a reusable suborbital hopper that validates propulsion, turbopumps, and reusability at a fraction of existing costs. Alongside, we have proven breakthrough technologies such as an indigenous cryogenic pump spinning at 25,000 RPM with 600 horsepower, and valves that are 40–50% more affordable than imports. Astrophel Aerospace is not just targeting launch services but contributing to building India’s indigenous aerospace ecosystem and value chain. By commercialising subsystems in the near term and scaling to orbital launch vehicles in the long term, it aims to make world-class space access possible from India at a fraction of current global costs. Its journey is proof that deep tech can be built frugally, sustainably, and with global ambition.