Pixxel: Mapping Earth Invisible Spectrum with Hyperspectral Sats – by Ritwaj Ranjan, Space News Contributor – India, Interplanetary.tv
Photo credit: Pixxel Space Tech – Video credit: Courtesy of Pixxel Firefly Constellation Launch footage – In the increasingly crowded field of Earth observation startups, few names have sparked as much attention—or potential—as Pixxel, the Indian company pioneering hyperspectral imaging from space. With the successful January 2025 launch of three satellites from its Firefly constellation aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9, Pixxel has moved decisively from a promising startup into a globally significant player in satellite-based analytics.

Pixxel is not building “just another Earth-imaging constellation.” Instead of relying on traditional RGB or multispectral cameras, it captures hyperspectral data—imagery broken into hundreds of narrow light bands—unlocking detail invisible to the naked eye. This enables unprecedented analysis of soil quality, crop stress, water pollution, gas leaks, and even mineral composition from orbit.

Founded in 2019 by Awais Ahmed (CEO) and Kshitij Khandelwal (CTO), both alumni of BITS Pilani, Pixxel has gone from concept to constellation in under six years. The company’s vision is bold: to become a “health monitor for the planet” using a combination of hyperspectral imaging and AI-powered analytics.

Pixxel Milestones:

*2019: Pixxel founded by Awais Ahmed and Kshitij Khandelwal at BITS Pilani

*April 2022: Shakuntala, Pixxel’s first demo satellite, launched on SpaceX Falcon 9

*Nov 2022: Anand demo satellite launched aboard ISRO’s PSLV

*Nov 2024: Announced six-satellite Firefly constellation (5m resolution, 150+ bands)

*Jan 2025: Three Firefly satellites launched on SpaceX Transporter-12 from Vandenberg

Pixxel’s roots trace back to an earlier student collaboration on Hyperloop India. Identifying the lack of high-resolution, high-frequency Earth data, the duo pivoted to hyperspectral imaging. From early demo launches to a manufacturing facility in Bengaluru and a global clientele, Pixxel now employs over 130 people and has raised nearly $95 million from investors including Lightspeed, Radical Ventures, Google, and Accenture.

The Hyperspectral Edge

Traditional satellite cameras typically operate with three (RGB) to 10+ bands of light. Pixxel’s hyperspectral cameras, by contrast, analyze over 150 spectral bands. Each image captured is like a “data cube,” where every pixel carries detailed spectral information.

As CTO Kshitij Khandelwal puts it, “If traditional images are chords, hyperspectral is a full symphony.” This allows detection of early-stage crop disease, soil nutrient imbalances, water contamination, mineral deposits, and gas leaks—all from space. Applications span agriculture, energy, mining, environment, and defense.

The Firefly satellites, each weighing ~50 kg, orbit at ~550 km altitude in a sun-synchronous path. Each satellite delivers 5-meter resolution hyperspectral imagery across a 40 km swath. This is the highest commercial resolution available in hyperspectral imaging globally.

Pixxel’s platform, Aurora, turns raw data into ready-to-use insights using AI and machine learning. This makes the technology accessible even to users unfamiliar with remote sensing.

From Demo to Deployment

Pixxel’s first satellite, Shakuntala, launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare in April 2022. This was followed by Anand, launched on ISRO’s PSLV C54 mission in November 2022. Both were demonstration missions used to validate hardware, data fidelity, and calibration.

The January 2025 launch of the first three Firefly satellites was the real leap: a commercial deployment designed to serve paying customers. The remaining three Fireflies are scheduled for mid-2025, enabling daily global coverage.

Already, Pixxel counts clients like Rio Tinto, BP, India’s Ministry of Agriculture, and NASA, using early data for everything from crop monitoring to methane detection. Partnerships with the US National Reconnaissance Office and Australian government agencies signal strategic interest in Pixxel’s capabilities.

Scaling and Sustainability

To support long-term growth, Pixxel opened a satellite assembly and testing facility in Bengaluru capable of producing up to 30 satellites annually. This vertical integration allows them to control quality, timelines, and costs.

Firefly satellites have a projected life of 6–7 years, thanks to onboard propulsion systems that also enable orbital corrections and de-orbiting, reducing space debris. This reflects Pixxel’s commitment to sustainability—both in terms of planetary monitoring and responsible space operations.

Pixxel’s focus isn’t just on imagery but on insight delivery. “Raw data is useful, but actionable intelligence is where the real value lies,” says Awais Ahmed. That philosophy drives the development of user-friendly platforms and APIs that deliver spectral alerts, thematic maps, and predictive models tailored to industry needs.

India to the World

Pixxel’s rise is part of a broader wave of Indian NewSpace startups, but few have matched its global traction. By building a constellation designed to serve international customers, Pixxel joins the likes of Planet, Satellogic, and ICEYE in the elite orbit of commercial EO companies.

With further launches planned through 2026, Pixxel aims to scale to 24 hyperspectral satellites, providing hourly global coverage. This would enable real-time monitoring of climate change impacts, disaster zones, and biodiversity loss.

Their mission statement—“Making the invisible visible”—echoes not just their technology, but their long-term ambition: to offer planetary-scale intelligence at unprecedented spectral fidelity.

Pixxel’s journey from a dorm-room dream to one of the world’s most advanced Earth observation networks is a testament to visionary ambition, technical excellence, and global collaboration. With hyperspectral imaging, the company isn’t just photographing Earth—it’s diagnosing it.

As climate, food, water, and energy crises deepen, the invisible signals Pixxel captures could prove to be humanity’s most vital early warning system.

— Ritwaj Ranjan

About the Author.

Ritwaj Ranjan is a full-stack web and mobile applications software engineer from Bangalore, India, and, space news contributor to Interplanetary Television. With a strong foundation in frontend and backend development technologies, he has worked at Othor.ai and Bhopal. He has designed and deployed over 20 user-centric interfaces with React.js, resulting in a 30% increase in customer satisfaction scores. Ranjan has also led a team in website development, resulting in a 40% increase in client customization efficiency.