These companies will build India's first private Earth-observation satellite network
What's the story
Bengaluru-based PixxelSpace India has bagged a major contract from the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe). The company will lead a consortium including PierSight Space, Satsure Analytics India, and Dhruva Space. The group has been awarded the contract to make India's first fully indigenous commercial Earth Observation (EO) satellite constellation, under the public-private partnership (EO-PPP) model.
Project
The satellites will have multiple payloads
The consortium will invest more than ₹1,200 crore over five years. The money will be used to design, build and operate a 12-satellite constellation with panchromatic, multispectral, hyperspectral, as well as synthetic aperture radar (SAR) payloads. Once completely deployed in four years, this network will offer Analysis Ready Data (ARD) and value-added services for climate change monitoring, disaster management, marine surveillance, agriculture, infrastructure, urban planning, and national security, among others.
Job creation
The project will create thousands of high-skill jobs
The project is tipped to create thousands of high-skill jobs, and contribute to India's goal of expanding its space economy from $8.4 billion in 2022 to $44 billion by 2033. Awais Ahmed, CEO of Pixxel, said, "This is India's moment to lead the world in space-powered solutions." He added that winning this proposal is a major milestone for Pixxel and their consortium members.
Strategic impact
The satellites will be launched from Indian soil
The 12-satellite constellation will be completely designed, made, and operated in India with launches from Indian soil. This move is expected to greatly lower dependence on foreign EO data sources, guarantee data sovereignty, and secure India's position in the global geospatial intelligence market.