Pixxel, an Indian space tech startup, has successfully launched the first three hyperspectral satellites of its commercial constellation Firefly aboard a SpaceX rocket from California, marking a significant milestone for India’s growing space ambitions.
India is home to around 300 space startups and has gained worldwide attention for recent developments, including the successful landing of its lunar spacecraft on the south pole, the launch of a coronagraphy spacecraft, and partnering with NASA to join the Artemis Accords. Further, India plans to launch its first human spacecraft mission next year, own a space station by 2035, and send an astronaut on a three-day moon mission by 2040.
The latest launch is the start of commercial operations for Bengaluru-based Pixxel, and took place from the Vandenberg Space Force Base Tuesday at around 10:45 a.m. PT under SpaceX’s Transporter-12 rideshare mission. Hyperspectral satellites have gained 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 a part of the five-year-old startup’s first commercialization phase, which will include three more by Q2, and a total of 18 to 24 satellites by 2026-2027, its chief said in an interview hours before the launch.
“It is the world’s highest-resolution hyperspectral satellite constellation and India’s first-ever private commercial constellation,” Pixxel co-founder and CEO Awais Ahmed told TechCrunch.
Pixxel built the Firefly satellites to provide hyperspectral imagery at a five-meter resolution, covering a 40-kilometer (~25-mile) wide swath. The satellites can capture data across over 150 spectral bands to detect subtle changes in chemical compositions, vegetation health, water quality, and atmospheric conditions. Onboard narrowband sensors help find hidden patterns and anomalies, which can be helpful for agricultural and climate applications.
The startup has signed over 60 customers in the last few years, including the Indian agriculture ministry, British Petroleum, and NASA. Some are already getting hyperspectral imagery data through demo satellites launched in 2021 and 2022, but the six satellites the startup aims to launch this year will bring “a lot more data than the demo satellites,” Ahmed said.
“It’s like when you’re hearing a musical note, you understand what keys it’s made up of, and those keys are what we are trying to pick with hyperspectral data,” Pixxel co-founder and CTO Kshitij Khandelwal told TechCrunch.
The satellites will circumnavigate in a sun-synchronous orbit at around 342 miles. While the first three satellites will help Pixxel begin its commercial operations, they will not provide daily global coverage, providing insights every two to three days instead. Pixxel executives said they need to add three additional satellites for daily coverage.
The commercial satellites also include native propulsion systems to help them stay in precise orbit for up to seven years, versus a one-and-a-half to two-year lifetime on the demo satellites.
Startups such as Esper, Orbital Sidekick, and Wyvern are trying to attract customers in this domain. But Ahmed told TechCrunch that Pixxel is so far the only player offering truly five-meter hyperspectral satellites.
“Some of them are doing multispectral… but still in like eight wavelengths or so. With hyperspectral, we’re able to do 150 wavelengths at five meters, and that is what sets us apart from existing players,” he said.
On why Pixxel preferred a SpaceX rocket instead of an Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) one, Ahmed said it was just the timing of the launch and orbital parameters.
Pixxel, which has so far raised $95 million in funding, counts Accenture Ventures, Google, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and Radical Ventures among its key investors.
Ahmed told TechCrunch that beyond Google’s investment, Pixxel is exploring how it can integrate its hyperspectral satellite insights with Google Earth and other Google products and services.
Last year, India announced a $116 million venture capital fund for space developments. The country also introduced a dedicated space policy and updated its foreign direct investment policy for overseas space-related investments to continue expanding its global space industry footprint.
