Pixxel Inks Deal With Defence Ministry To Manufacture Miniaturised Satellites

Spacetech startup Pixxel has inked a deal with the Ministry of Defence under the Innovations for Defense Excellence (iDEX) scheme to manufacture miniaturised multi-payload satellites for the Indian Air Force.

Pixxel’s miniaturised satellite will be capable of carrying electro-optical, infrared, synthetic aperture radar, and hyperspectral payloads of up to 150 kgs, the ministry said in a statement.

Founded in 2019 by Awais Ahmed and Kshitij Khandelwal, Pixxel is building a constellation of hyperspectral earth imaging satellites to provide insights to sectors like agriculture, mining, environment, among others.

The startup plans to launch six satellites, named Fireflies, in 2024 and 18 more by 2025. It was earlier reported that it would launch the first three satellites in June this year. The satellites will weigh around 50 kg each, significantly higher than the 15 kg weight of the demo satellites, Shakuntala and Anand, launched by Pixxel in 2022. 

It is pertinent to note that last year, Pixxel bagged a grant from iDEX to manufacture miniaturised multi-payload satellites for the Indian Air Force.

Launched in 2018, iDEX is the flagship initiative of the Ministry of Defence to encourage startups, MSMEs, and other private entities in the defence sector. iDEX reached a milestone by signing its 350th contract with Pixxel. 

“This 350th iDEX contract enables innovation in space electronics, wherein many payloads earlier deployed on dedicated large satellites are now being miniaturised. The modular small satellite will integrate multiple miniaturised payloads as per requirement, providing advantages like faster and economical deployment, ease of manufacturing, scalability, adaptability, and less environmental impact,” the ministry said.

The development comes at a time when the Indian government is increasingly looking at startups to enhance the country’s defence capabilities.

Earlier this month, the defence ministry announced that Noida-based startup Ingenious Research Solutions has developed an indigenous facial recognition system in collaboration with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

Prior to that, in March, Big Bang Boom Solutions, a deeptech startup working in the defence space, clinched an order worth over INR 200 Cr from the Indian Air Force and the Indian Army for its anti-drone technology.

With the Indian government encouraging private players in defence manufacturing, a number of startups have cropped up in the sector and are attracting investor interest.

Meanwhile, Pixxel is a part of the country’s rapidly growing spacetech ecosystem. It has raised a total funding of nearly $74 Mn till date and is backed by the likes of Google, Lightspeed and Blume Ventures among others.

As per Inc42 data, more than 150 spacetech startups raised over $285 Mn in funding between 2014 and 2023. The Indian spacetech market is poised to reach a size of over $77 Bn by 2030.