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Pixelsan Indian space technology startup, has successfully launched the first three hyperspectral satellites of its commercial Firefly constellation 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 successful landing of his lunar spacecraft at the south pole, the launch of a spacecraft coronagraphyand Partnered with NASA to join the Artemis Accords. Also, India plans to launch its own first human space mission the following year, own a space station from 2035, and send an astronaut on a three-day lunar mission by 2040.
The latest launch is the start of commercial operations for Bengaluru-based Pixxel, and took place from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Tuesday around 10:45 a.m. PT aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-12 transport 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 efficient and effective in most of these cases.
The three satellites are part of the startup’s first five-year commercialization phase, which will include three more by Q2, and a total of 18 to 24 satellites by 2026-2027, its boss said in an interview hours before the launch
“It is the world’s highest resolution hyperspectral satellite constellation and India’s first private commercial constellation,” Pixxel co-founder and CEO Awais Ahmed told TechCrunch.
Pixel built the Firefly satellites to provide hyperspectral imagery at a resolution of five meters, covering a wide band of 40 kilometers (~25 miles). The satellites can capture data in more than 150 spectral bands to detect subtle changes in chemical composition, vegetation health, water quality and atmospheric conditions. On-board narrowband sensors help find hidden patterns and anomalies, which can be useful for agricultural and weather applications.
The startup has signed up more than 60 clients in recent years, including the Indian agriculture ministry, British Petroleum and NASA. Some are already getting hyperspectral imaging data through demo satellites launched in 2021 and 2022, but the six satellites the startup aims to launch this year will carry “much more data than the demo satellites,” Ahmed said.
“It’s like when you hear a musical note, you understand what keys it consists of, and those keys are what we’re trying to pick out with hyperspectral data,” Pixxel co-founder and CTO Kshitij Khandelwal told TechCrunch.
The satellites will circumnavigate in a sun-synchronous orbit at about 342 miles. While the first three satellites will help Pixxel start its commercial operations, they will not provide daily global coverage, providing insights every two or three days instead. Pixxel executives said they need to add three additional satellites for daily coverage.
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 lifespan on demo satellites.
Startups like Esper, Orbital sidekickand Wyvern they are trying to attract customers in this domain. But Ahmed told TechCrunch that Pixxel is so far the only player that actually offers five-meter hyperspectral satellites.
“Some of them do multispectral … but still in about eight wavelengths. With hyperspectral, we are able to do 150 wavelengths at five meters, and that’s what sets us apart from the existing players,” he said.
Why Pixxel preferred a SpaceX rocket instead of an Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), Ahmed said it was just the timing of the launch and the 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 investmentPixxel is exploring how its hyperspectral satellites can be integrated 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 investments to continue expanding its global space industry footprint.
