NEW DELHI: In a sign of the growing space technology prowess of the Indian private sector, three indigenous space startups — Bengaluru-based Digantara and Pixxel, and Hyderabad-based XDLINX Spacelabs — are set for satellite launches aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-12.
The satellites are scheduled to be launched at the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California in the US, around 10.45 am Pacific Time (early Wednesday morning in India), subject to final approvals.
While Digantara and Pixxel are launching their own satellites, XDLINX is sending satellites developed in India for US-based Almagest Space Corporation.
Pixxel will deploy the first three satellites of its Firefly constellation. The satellites will be placed in a sun-synchronous orbit at roughly 550 km, with the remaining three slated for deployment in the second quarter of the year.
“Once fully deployed, the constellation will equip industries and govts with actionable insights to tackle global challenges, drive informed decision-making, and advance meaningful climate action,” Pixxel said.
With sensors six times sharper than the 30-metre standard of most existing hyper-spectral satellites, Fireflies will uncover hidden patterns and anomalies with unparalleled detail and accuracy, making it the world’s most advanced commercial hyper-spectral imaging system, the company said.
The satellites will provide unprecedented insights for various applications, from environmental monitoring to resource management.
Their enhanced spectral capabilities enable the detection of subtle changes in vegetation, water bodies, and mineral deposits, offering valuable data for industries ranging from agriculture to mining. Pixxel plans to add 18 more satellites to the six it has already developed, eyeing a share of the satellite imaging market projected to reach $19 billion by 2029.
Digantara’s inaugural space surveillance satellite, SCOT (Space Camera for Object Tracking), marks a milestone as one of the world’s first commercial Space Situational Awareness (SSA) satellites.
Engineered to track objects as small as 5 cm in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), SCOT promises to revolutionise space traffic management with its superior monitoring capabilities, unaffected by weather conditions or geographic limitations that constrain traditional ground-based systems.
