Pixxel, a private satellite-imaging company has entered into an agreement with NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL), a Government of India company under the Department of Space, to launch Pixxel’s first remote-sensing satellite on an ISRO PSLV rocket in early 2021.
This agreement comes after the establishment of IN-SPACe, the authorisation and regulatory body under the Department of Space (DOS) for enabling private players to undertake space activities in India.
DOS and Pixxel will collaborate to enhance utilisation and maximise the benefits of space assets for India.
“This first-of-a-kind private earth-observation mission will help provide solutions to many pressing environmental and agricultural issues among others and help make the world a better and more sustainable place.” the company said.
Pixxel is building a constellation of earth imaging small satellites that will provide global coverage every 24 hours once fully deployed.
The satellites will collect high-throughput information-rich data that will be analysed using Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning models to help make organisations more efficient in a plethora of sectors ranging from agriculture to urban monitoring among others.
The Department of Space is happy to have one of India’s leading private space startups, Pixxel onboard with this mission,” said K. Sivan, Secretary, DoS, in a statement. “We realise the potential that Pixxel’s earth imaging satellites have to solve some pressing issues of our time and we are looking forward to a positive outcome from this launch.”
“With the establishment of IN-SPACe we will also be partnering with other private players, that can help India achieve more milestones in the future,” he said.
“We are elated with the fact that India’s first commercial private satellite will now launch on an Indian rocket. This is not only a proud moment for us as an organisation but also as citizens to work with our nation’s capabilities,” said Awais Ahmed, CEO, Pixxel.
