On August 12, 2025, the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) formally declared that a partnership headed by Pixxel Space India, based in Bangalore, had been chosen to create and run the country’s first entirely domestic commercial constellation of Earth observation (EO) satellites.
This project represents a landmark achievement under a pioneering public-private partnership (PPP) model aimed at boosting India’s geospatial intelligence capabilities.
PixxelSpace India, Piersight Space, Satsure Analytics India, and Dhruva Space make up the collaboration. In order to design, construct, and run a network of 12 cutting-edge EO satellites, they will collectively invest more than ₹1,200 crore over the course of the following five years.
A wide variety of sensors, such as panchromatic, multispectral, hyperspectral, and microwave Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) sensors, will be installed on these satellites. Compared to current EO systems, this sensor mix will significantly improve the constellation’s operational capabilities by enabling it to deliver high-resolution, analysis-ready data 24/7 and in all weather situations.
Agriculture, disaster management, maritime surveillance, national security, climate monitoring, land-use mapping, water quality monitoring, urban planning, and infrastructure development are just a few of the vital industries that the satellite constellation seeks to support. The initiative will greatly reduce India’s reliance on foreign EO data by producing its own satellite data, enhancing data sovereignty and establishing India as a world leader in space-based geospatial intelligence.
IN-SPACe emphasized that the project will help India’s private space industry mature by showcasing the commercial viability and
technological maturity of Indian private enterprises to lead large-scale, cutting-edge space missions that cater to both domestic and foreign markets.Under the PPP model, the consortium is in charge of satellite production, launches from Indian territory, setting up and running ground infrastructure, and commercializing satellite data and value-added services, while the government offers strategic, technical, and policy support.
With an emphasis on speedy execution and the use of modular, software-defined radar electronics for rapid iteration and alignment with IN-SPACe’s milestones, the full 12-satellite network deployment will be phased over four years. The constellation is now one of the most sophisticated EO systems in the world and a fully developed, constructed, launched, and run Indian sovereign space asset.
The consortium’s key executives emphasized their complementing strengths: Satsure Analytics contributes analytical capabilities to meet the needs of businesses and government organizations seeking actionable intelligence, Piersight Space concentrates on providing radar-first, analysis-ready products with low latency, and Dhruva Space offers experience across the entire space stack, including launch capabilities.
Thousands of high-skilled jobs are also anticipated to be created by the project, which would also help India achieve its ambitious objective of growing its space economy from $8.4 billion in 2022 to $44 billion by 2033. According to Pixxel CEO Awais Ahmed, the consortium’s victory and mission mark a significant turning point for his business as well as the Indian commercial space industry as a whole, allowing India to take the lead globally in space-powered solutions using domestic resources.
A revolutionary step for the Indian space ecosystem, the Pixxel-led consortium’s effort under IN-SPACe’s EO-PPP model promises cutting-edge technological innovation, strategic autonomy, and substantial commercial growth potential in Earth observation satellite capabilities.
