PixxelSpace-led consortium to build first Indian private earth observation satellite constellation

New Delhi: A consortium led by a Bengaluru-based company on Tuesday was selected to build the country’s first fully indigenous commercial earth observation satellite constellation to monitor the planet for various applications ranging from national security to climate change.

The consortium led by PixxelSpace will spend Rs 1,200 crore to build 12 satellites in the next five years, the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) said.

The Pixxel-led team edged out two other consortia headed by Astra Microwave Products Limited and GalaxEye Space to win the bid to build the constellation under the Earth Observation satellite Public-Private Partnership model.

Other companies in the winning group are Piersight Space, Satsure Analytics India, and Dhruva Space.

The constellation will feature a mix of sub-metre very-high-resolution, wide-swath multispectral, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and hyper-spectral satellites.

The images will be useful in precision agriculture, water-quality monitoring, land-use mapping, environmental compliance, disaster assessment and infrastructure development.

“The constellation will deliver Analysis Ready Data and Value-Added Services for applications in climate change monitoring, disaster management, agriculture, infrastructure, marine surveillance, national security, and urban planning, while also catering to the global demand for high-quality geospatial intelligence,” IN-Space said.

By generating high-resolution, indigenous satellite data, the initiative will significantly reduce India's reliance on foreign sources, ensure data sovereignty and position the country among the global leaders in space-based data solutions.

"This initiative signals the coming of age of India's private space industry. It demonstrates the capability of Indian companies to lead large-scale, technologically-advanced and commercially-viable space missions,” Pawan Goenka, chairman, IN-SPACe, said.

Under the PPP framework, the government will provide strategic, technical and policy support, while the consortium will own and operate the EO system, including satellite manufacturing, launches from Indian soil, ground infrastructure and commercialisation of data services.

“By deploying 12 advanced, made-in-India satellites with cutting edge sensors, this initiative will strengthen data sovereignty, reduce dependence on foreign imagery, and deliver world-class solutions for agriculture, climate monitoring, disaster management, and more," commented Lt Gen. AK Bhatt (Rtd), director general, Indian Space Association.