Bengaluru-based Pixxel eyes India's defence for application of its hyperspectral imagery satellites

Co-founded by BITS Pilani alumni Awais Ahmed (in picture) and Kshitij Khandelwal in 2018, Pixxel launched three hyperspectral imagery enabled satellites aboard SpaceX and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launch vehicles last year

Bengaluru-based space tech start-up Pixxel, which marked its first foray into the surveillance and reconnaissance sector after it recently won a United States defence contract, is keen to use its hyperspectral imagery satellites for the Indian defence sector.

"We are testing internally around strategic and intelligence initiatives. We are surrounded by two countries that have been quite hostile to us for quite a few decades. So, knowing exactly what is happening there (is important); and hyperspectral (imagery) can help unlock new things that one won't be able to see otherwise (sic)," Awais Ahmed, CEO and co-founder of Pixxel told Moneycontrol.

Hyperspectral imaging takes a spectrum of light and divides it into hundreds of narrow spectral bands so one can better understand and discern anything on the planet. Pixxel is aiming to build a constellation of such hyperspectral earth imaging satellites and analytical tools to mine insights from space data.

The start-up has already deployed three demo satellites, with the latest, called Anand, being launched from an Indian Space Research Organisation rocket last year. In their vision for the company, the start-up had said that their satellites will be used to build a 'health monitor' for Earth, by focusing on climate, environment, forestry and agriculture use cases.

So, when, last week, United States' National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) awarded the company a 5-year contract for providing them with hyperspectral imagery(HSI)- enabled remote sensing capabilities, it came as a surprise.

Awais, who claims that Pixxel is the only non-Chinese company in the world to have operating hyperspectral satellites in space, opined that applications of their satellites would help in bringing more "transparency into the world".

For instance, he explained, that when compared to normal imaging satellites, hyperspectral-enabled ones can identify decoy targets and submarines from their materials, spot objects which are camouflaged, detect nuclear or bioweapons testing and so on.

"So I think bringing more transparency is a good thing. We will not do anything that leads to active conflict. But anything that we are doing in terms of seeing what's happening in the world, is something that's okay with us," he said.

However, he assures that Pixxel's vision is going to remain on building a health monitor for the planet. In fact, he added, that the start-up is also working with the Telangana government for providing insights, leveraged from their satellites, in the agriculture sector -- such as for predicting crop yields and so on.

"Our vision will continue to be building health monitor for the planet, which means really climate and environment, forestry and agriculture use cases -- regardless of the amount of money that comes in (from the defence sector), and there's definitely money there. That will be the focus, because, in terms of creating impact, I think that's really where it needs to be," he explained.