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Google-backed Pixxel launches India's first private satellite constellation

TechBrunchBy TechBrunchJanuary 14, 20254 Mins Read
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Indian space technology startup Pixel has successfully launched the first three hyperspectral satellites of its Firefly commercial satellite constellation on a SpaceX rocket from California, marking a significant mileage for India's growing space ambitions. It became a stone.

India is home to about 300 space startups and has attracted global attention with recent developments such as the successful landing of a lunar rover in the South Pole, the launch of a coronagraphy probe, and joining the Artemis Accord in partnership with NASA. I am collecting. Additionally, India plans to launch its first manned spacecraft mission next year, have a space station by 2035, and send astronauts on three-day moon missions by 2040.

The latest launch, the start of commercial operations for Bangalore-based Pixxel, took place from Vandenberg Space Force Base at approximately 10:45 a.m. Pacific Time on Tuesday under SpaceX's Transporter-12 rideshare mission. Ta. Hyperspectral satellites are gaining popularity among space companies as large corporations and governments seek insights into deforestation, ocean pollution, oil spills and water quality. While drones can provide some data, satellites are generally more effective and efficient in most of these cases.

The three satellites are part of the five-year-old startup's first commercialization phase, with three more to follow by the second quarter and a total of 18 to 24 satellites by 2026-2027. the company's chief said in an interview hours before the launch.

“This is the world's highest resolution hyperspectral satellite constellation and India's first private commercial satellite constellation,” Pixxel co-founder and CEO Awais Ahmed told TechCrunch.

Pixxel built the Firefly satellite to provide hyperspectral imagery with a resolution of 5 meters, covering a swath 40 kilometers (about 25 miles) wide. Satellites can capture data across more than 150 spectral bands to detect subtle changes in chemical composition, vegetation health, water quality, and atmospheric conditions. Onboard narrowband sensors help discover hidden patterns and anomalies, useful in agriculture and climate change applications.

The company has signed contracts with more than 60 customers in recent years, including India's Ministry of Agriculture, British Petroleum and NASA. Some companies are already acquiring hyperspectral imaging data through demo satellites launching in 2021 and 2022, but the six satellites the company aims to launch this year are “far more than demo satellites. Ahmed said.

Image credit: Pixel

“It's like when you hear a note, you understand what keys it's made of. And those keys are what you're trying to select using hyperspectral data.” Pixxel co-founder and CTO Kshitij Khandelwal told TechCrunch.

The satellite orbits in a sun-synchronous orbit at approximately 342 miles. The first three satellites will help Pixxel begin commercial operations, but they will not provide daily global coverage, instead providing insights every two to three days. Pixxel executives said they need to add three more satellites to cover daily communications.

Commercial satellites also include native propulsion systems and can remain in precise orbits for up to seven years, compared to the one-and-a-half to two-year lifetime of demo satellites.

Startups like Esper, Orbital Sidekick, and Wyvern are trying to attract customers in this space. But Ahmed told TechCrunch that Pixxel is currently the only company offering a true 5-meter hyperspectral satellite.

“Some of them are doing multispectral… but it’s still about eight wavelengths. With hyperspectral, you can do 150 wavelengths in 5 meters and that’s what differentiates us from existing players. ” he said.

As for why Pixel chose the SpaceX rocket over the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) rocket, Ahmed said it was just the launch timing and orbital parameters.

Pixxel has raised $95 million in funding to date, with major investors including Accenture Ventures, Google, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and Radical Ventures.

Ahmed told TechCrunch that beyond Google's investment, Pixxel is exploring ways to integrate hyperspectral satellite insights with Google Earth and other Google products and services.

Last year, India announced a $116 million venture capital fund for space exploration. The country also introduced a dedicated space policy and updated its foreign direct investment policy for foreign space-related investments to continue expanding its global space industry footprint.



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