Pixxel to launch India's first private satellite network

PIXXEL IS SET to launch three of its six hyperspectral imaging satellites aboard a SpaceX rocket from California on Tuesday, the first such network in India's nascent private space sector, Pixxel's chief told Reuters.

- NIVEDITA BHATTACHARJEE

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.

The launch is scheduled to take place at the Vandenberg Space Force Base at around 1845 GMT on Tuesday - just after midnight the next day in India - subject to final approvals.

Pixxel's founder and chief executive Awais Ahmed told Reuters that it plans to add 18 more spacecraft to the six it has already developed, eyeing a share of the satellite imaging market projected to reach $19 billion by 2029.

The launch is a milestone for India's nascent private space sector and for Google-backed Pixxel, a five-year-old startup.

It aims to use hyperspectral imaging -- a technology that captures highly detailed data across hundreds of light bands -- to serve industries such as agriculture, mining, environmental monitoring, and defence.