Carried by SpaceX rockets, Bengaluru firm’s ‘Fireflies’ make India’s first private satellite constellation
Two Indian startups based in Karnataka’s Bengaluru on Wednesday announced the launch of their satellites to monitor the earth and objects orbiting around it closely, marking a new era for private firms in the space sector.
The satellites of the startups – Pixxel and Digantara – were carried to space by a SpaceX rocket.
Notably, with the launch, Pixxel has become the first private company in India to have its own constellation of satellites using the cutting-edge hyper-spectral frequency that allows observation of the earth in over 150 bands.
On the other hand, Digantara Aerospace announced the launch of the world’s first commercial satellite – Space Camera for Object Tracking (SCOT) – for surveillance of objects as small as 5 cm orbiting the earth to ensure safer space operations.
Surveillance of outer space or situational space awareness (SSA) is important to ensure the safety of spacecraft as orbits around the earth become crowded with artificial satellites as well as space debris.
Pixxel’s Fireflies
Pixxel’s three Fireflies are currently the world’s highest-resolution commercial-grade hyperspectral satellites.
They are six times sharper than the 30-meter standard and are capable of capturing fine details previously invisible to conventional systems.
“For the first time a 5 meter hyperspectral is available. That is what makes it unique, not just in India, but globally,” Pixxel co-founder and CEO Awais Ahmed told PTI.
The startup also plans to launch three more Firefly satellites over the next two months, followed by 18 more in the future.
The company has already signed up more than 60 clients. These include the US National Reconnaissance Organization, Rio Tinto, British Petroleum, and the Union Ministry of Agriculture, who are receiving hyper-spectral data from its technology demonstration satellites.
Lt Gen A K Bhatt, Director General, Indian Space Association (ISpA), told PTI that Pixxel’s satellites marks a significant step forward. “The advanced hyperspectral imaging capabilities of these satellites are poised to unlock new possibilities,” Bhatt said.
Digantara’s SCOT satellite
Meanwhile, Digantara CEO Anirudh Sharma said that SCOT is aimed to enhance space safety, optimise traffic management and bolster national security initiatives.
From the sun-synchronous orbit, SCOT will track objects in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) with greater efficiency than existing sensors, which are constrained by weather conditions, geographic limitations and restricted fields of view.
“Unlike these traditional systems, SCOT offers persistent monitoring of Resident Space Objects, detecting and tracking objects as small as 5 cm,” a company statement said.
Bhatt told PTI that Digantara’s SCOT satellite was a crucial stepping stone to ensure a more sustainable space environment and to tackle the growing issue of space debris and congestion.
