Pixxel, supported by Google, unveils India’s first private satellite network with success
- Technology
- January 15, 2025
On Tuesday, the Indian space technology startup Pixxel launched three of its six hyperspectral imaging satellites from California on a SpaceX rocket.
According to a live stream from SpaceX, the satellites were launched from the Vandenberg Space Force Base at 1915 GMT, which is shortly after midnight in India. The debut is significant for both Google-backed Pixxel, a five-year-old business, and the nation’s expanding private space industry.
Utilizing hyperspectral photography, which gathers extremely precise information across hundreds of light bands, the satellites are intended to support a variety of industries, including mining, agriculture, environmental monitoring, and defense.
Such technology can track resources, monitor oil spills and geographic borders in far greater depth than is possible with existing technology, and provide insights on increasing agricultural yields in India’s agrarian economy.
It is anticipated that the remaining three satellites would be launched during the second quarter of this year.
A satellite from Diganatara, another Indian space business, is also being carried by the SpaceX rocket.
The market is expected to grow to $19 billion by 2029. Pixxel’s founder and CEO, Awais Ahmed, told Reuters earlier on Monday that the company’s new hyperspectral imaging could potentially collect $500 million to $1 billion of this.
According to Ahmed, Pixxel has signed up about 65 clients, including Rio Tinto, British Petroleum, and India’s Ministry of Agriculture, some of whom have already paid for data from its demo satellites. The business now has six spacecraft in development and aims to add 18 more.
The United States leads the world in satellite launches thanks to government contracts and private businesses like SpaceX. India, on the other hand, only has 2% of the worldwide commercial space market, despite having proven spacefaring capabilities.