Bengaluru-based Pixxel and Digantara launch satellites aboard SpaceX's Transporter-12

Bengaluru-based startups Pixxel and Digantara on January 15 launched satellites aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-12 rideshare mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California.

Aboard the launch vehicle, Pixxel deployed the first three hyperspectral imagery-enabled satellites of its Firefly constellation and Digantara, its Space Camera for Object Tracking (SCOT) mission for space surveillance.

Pixxel's Fireflies satellites boast a five-metre resolution and cover 150+ spectral bands.

[caption id="attachment_12911091" align="alignnone" width="6050"] Awais Ahmed Founder and CEO of Pixxel and Kshitij Khandelwal Founder and CTO of Pixxel[/caption]

Hyperspectral imagery captures and processes light across a wide range of wavelengths, enabling the identification and analysis of materials based on their unique light. Thus it helps by detecting subtle changes in vegetation health, water quality, and chemical compositions.

The three satellites will be operating in sun-synchronous orbits at 550km. It will have daily revisit capabilities, ensuring consistent monitoring of Earth. Three additional Firefly satellites are set for launch in Q2 2025.

“The future of our planet depends on how deeply we understand it today. Fireflies are a giant leap toward addressing global challenges with precise insights,” said Awais Ahmed, CEO of Pixxel.

Kshitij Khandelwal, Founder and CTO of Pixxel said, "Their (The satellites') ability to detect subtle changes in Earth’s ecosystems will provide industries and governments with the precise information needed to address critical global challenges confidently."

Meanwhile, Digantara’s SCOT, deployed in the sun-synchronous orbit, will track Resident Space Objects (RSOs) as small as 5 cm in Low Earth Orbit, addressing growing concerns over space safety and debris management.

[caption id="attachment_12911093" align="alignnone" width="5275"] Digantara CEO Anirudh Sharma (R) with the SCOT satellite[/caption]

SCOT has been built to deliver higher revisit rates, and provide enhanced tracking accuracy—filling a crucial gap left by current systems, a release by the company claimed. The startup, going forward, aims to establish a hybrid network of surveillance systems, delivering persistent monitoring of near-Earth environment.

"With SCOT, we are taking a crucial step in achieving surveillance superiority, ensuring not only a safer and more sustainable space environment but also towards safeguarding sovereign assets in the face of an increasingly contested space domain," said Anirudh Sharma, CEO of Digantara.