Catalyx Space Raises $5.4 Million Seed Round
Catalyx Space, a startup building infrastructure for orbital missions, has raised $5.4 million in an oversubscribed Seed round led by Outlander VC.
The raise follows its $1.7 million pre-Seed round in January, which supported the company’s first successful capsule drop test completed in just six months.
The new funding will be used to commercialize Catalyx’s next-generation reentry architecture, strengthen its overseas operations, and expand its global customer network.
Investors joining the round include Arka Venture Labs, Lex Reddy, KDX Management LLC, Together Fund, Higher Life Ventures, Nivesha Ventures, Prana Tech Ventures, Bria, HF0 Residency, and Techstars.
"Space isn't the next frontier — it's the next infrastructure layer. Catalyx is making orbit as accessible and programmable as the cloud, and that shift will unleash entirely new industries. We are proud to back a team building the backbone of this transformation," said Paige Craig, founder and managing partner of Outlander VC.
Founded in 2024 by space engineer Rifath Shaarook, Catalyx is addressing inefficiencies in satellite development and orbital access.
Shaarook previously gained global attention at age 18 for designing KalamSat, the world’s lightest 3D-printed satellite.
The company’s technology stack includes reentry and recovery systems, lightweight spacecraft buses, and ground-station software designed to simplify experimentation and manufacturing in orbit.
Its approach aligns with the growing commercial focus on space infrastructure, a market valued at $146 billion in 2024 and projected to reach $308 billion by 2032, according to Fortune Business Insights.
The timing of Catalyx’s announcement coincides with renewed private-sector momentum in space. Just last month, SpaceX completed a successful test of its Starship vehicle, signaling continued confidence in commercial reentry and heavy-lift capabilities — a trend that could accelerate demand for modular orbital systems like those Catalyx is developing.
Catalyx’s current team includes cofounders Shaarook, Clinton D. Antony, Keerthan Chand Aluvala, and Saqib Hussain, who aim to make space experimentation more rapid, reliable, and affordable for industries ranging from defense to biopharma.
