Vikram Sarabhai's Legacy Powers India's First Private Satellite Constellation

NDTV

2 days ago

New Delhi:
In a landmark announcement coinciding with the birth anniversary of Dr Vikram Sarabhai, the father of India's space program, the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) has selected a PixxelSpace India-led consortium to build and operate the country's first fully indigenous commercial Earth Observation (EO) satellite constellation.
This marks a defining moment in India's space journey, the transition from a government-led model to a vibrant public-private partnership ecosystem. The winning consortium includes PixxelSpace India Pvt. Ltd., Piersight Space, Satsure Analytics India, and Dhruva Space, and will invest over Rs 1,200 crore to deploy 12 advanced EO satellites over the next five years.
All of us saw the high-resolution images of the bomb damage assessment put out by Maxar Space an American space company in the wake of Operation Sindoor and many asked why Indian satellites don't give us the same high resolution? Now with this announcement, India will also get high-resolution satellite images from its own private sector.
"This initiative signals the coming of age of India's private space industry," said Dr Pawan Goenka, Chairman of IN-SPACe. "It demonstrates the capability and confidence of Indian companies to lead large-scale, technologically advanced, and commercially viable space missions that serve both national and global markets. The EO-PPP model fosters an ecosystem where public and private capabilities reinforce each other to drive growth, innovation, and self-reliance."
Earlier this year in January, the Bengaluru space start-up Pixxel created history when its founder announced 'Make in India, Made for the Universe' said Awais Ahmed, Founder and CEO, as it bagged contracts from NASA & US intelligence agency.
The six-year-old company also created history by making India's first private sector satellite constellation of three satellites and having raised nearly $100 million for this start-up. Pixxel said the 'Fireflies', currently the world's highest-resolution commercial-grade hyperspectral satellites, bring unprecedented precision to monitoring the planet and setting a new benchmark for hyperspectral imaging capabilities. With a five-meter resolution attained for the first time in a hyperspectral spacecraft, 'Fireflies' are six times sharper than the 30-meter standard of most existing hyperspectral satellites, capturing fine details previously invisible to conventional systems.
"The future of our planet depends on how deeply we understand it today. The successful deployment of our first commercial satellites is a defining moment for Pixxel and a giant leap toward redefining how we use space technology to address the planet's challenges," said Awais Ahmed, founder and CEO of Pixxel.
The upcoming full fleet 12 satellite constellation will feature cutting-edge sensors, panchromatic, multispectral, hyperspectral, and microwave, and deliver Analysis Ready Data (ARD) and Value-Added Services (VAS) for applications ranging from climate change monitoring and disaster management to agriculture, marine surveillance, and national security.
"This project is about building India's own independent and future-ready geospatial infrastructure," said Shri Rajeev Jyoti, Director of the Technical Directorate at IN-SPACe. "It will lead to Atmanirbharta in high-resolution optical and radar data, catalyse innovation, create thousands of high-skill jobs, and contribute directly to our goal of growing India's space economy from $8.4 billion in 2022 to $44 billion by 2033."
The selection followed a rigorous technical and financial evaluation process, with three consortia shortlisted. PixxelSpace India emerged as the successful bidder, and under the PPP framework, will own and operate the EO system, including satellite manufacturing, launches from Indian soil, ground infrastructure, and commercialisation of data services.
Awais Ahmed, CEO of PixxelSpace India, called the announcement a "major milestone" in India's space story. "Being the winning proposal to build India's national EO constellation is a proud moment for Pixxel and our consortium members. We're grateful to IN-SPACe and the Government of India for trusting us with this historic mission. Together with our partners Satsure, Dhruva, and PierSight, we look forward to building world-class space-tech capabilities that serve the whole planet from Indian soil."
The constellation will be deployed in phases over the next four years, ensuring continuous service upgrades and expanded coverage. Once operational, it will be among the most advanced EO systems globally, designed, built, and operated entirely in India by Indian talent.
The timing of the announcement, on Dr Vikram Sarabhai's birthday, adds symbolic weight to the milestone. Sarabhai envisioned a space program that would serve the needs of India's development. Today, that vision is being realised not just by ISRO, but by a new generation of private innovators.
"This is India's moment to lead the world in space-powered solutions," said Awais Ahmed. "We're not just building satellites; we're building sovereignty, capability, and global relevance."
The initiative reaffirms the Government of India's commitment to space sector reforms and its support for enabling Indian industry to emerge as a major global player. It also sets the stage for future collaborations, innovations, and commercial missions that could redefine India's role in the global space economy.
As Dr Sarabhai once said, "We must be second to none in the application of advanced technologies to the real problems of man and society." Today, his legacy lives on - not just in government labs, but in the hands of private pioneers reaching for the stars.