CHENNAI, Aug 12: At an outlay Rs 1,200 crore over a five year period a consortium of private satellite makers led by Pixxel Space India will launch a constellation of 12 satellites to beef up India’s security, marine surveillance, earth observation, climate monitoring and others, said Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe).
IN-SPACe is the regulator for the private space sector players in the country.
According to IN-SPACe the 12 state of art earth observation satellites will be equipped with panchromatic, multispectral, hyperspectral, and microwave synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensors.
The constellation will deliver Analysis Ready Data (ARD) and Value-Added Services (VAS) 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.
The consortium led by PixxelSpace India comprise of Piersight Space, Satsure Analytics India, and Dhruva Space, will design, build, and operate India’s first fully indigenous commercial Earth Observation (EO) satellite under the pioneering Public-Private Partnership (EO-PPP) model.
IN-SPACe said three consortia were shortlisted, viz.,
Astra Microwave Products Limited, Hyderabad (with Bharat Electronics Ltd., Sisir Radar & Spectragaze Systems)
GalaxEye Space, Bengaluru (with CoreEL)
PixxelSpace India Pvt. Ltd., Bengaluru (with Piersight Space, Satsure Analytics India, and Dhruva Space).
Following the financial bid assessment, the PixxelSpace India-led consortium emerged as the successful bidder.
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.
Dr. Pawan Goenka, Chairman, IN-SPACe, said, “This initiative signals the coming of age of India’s private space industry in the space sector. It demonstrates the capability and confidence of Indian companies to lead large-scale, technologically advanced, and commercially viable space missions that serve both national and global markets. The EO-PPP model fosters an ecosystem where public and private capabilities reinforce each other to drive growth, innovation, and self-reliance.”
Under the PPP framework, the Government of India will provide strategic, technical, and policy support, while the PixxelSpace India-led consortium will own and operate the earth observation constellation, including satellite manufacturing, launches from Indian soil, ground infrastructure, and commercialisation of data services.
Rajeev Jyoti, Director, Technical Directorate, IN-SPACe, said, “All three shortlisted bidders submitted excellent technical and business plans, underscoring the growing maturity of India’s private space capabilities. This project is about building India’s own independent and future-ready geospatial infrastructure. It will lead to Atmanirbharta (self-reliance) in high-resolution optical and radar data for India, catalyse innovation, create thousands of high-skill jobs, and contribute directly to our goal of growing India’s space economy from $8.4 billion in 2022 to $44 billion by 2033.”
“Being the winning proposal to build India’s national EO constellation is a major milestone for Pixxel and our consortium members in India’s space story. We are grateful to IN-SPACe and the Government of India for trusting our consortium with this historic mission. Together with our partners Satsure, Dhruva and PierSight, we look forward to building world-class space-tech capabilities that serve the whole planet from Indian soil. This is India’s moment to lead the world in space-powered solutions,” said Awais Ahmed, CEO of Pixxel.
According to IN-SPACe, the earth observation constellation will be deployed in a phased manner over the next four years to ensure continuous service upgrades and expanded coverage.
Once operational, it will be among the most advanced earth observation systems in the world, designed, built, and operated entirely in India by Indian talent, IN-SPACe added.
(UNI)
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