Pixxel-led consortium signs pact with IN-SPACe to build India’s first private national Earth-observation constellation

Pixxel, a Bengaluru-based planetary intelligence startup, has signed an agreement with the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) to build and operate India’s first privately led national Earth Observation (EO) constellation under a public-private partnership framework.

The planetary intelligence startup will lead a consortium of four Indian space companies, Pixxel, Dhruva Space, PierSight and SatSure, to design, build, own and operate the country’s first private-led national satellite system. The consortium plans to invest more than Rs 1,200 crore over the next five years to deploy a 12-satellite constellation.

“The signing marks a watershed moment for India’s space sector, the country's first private-led national Earth Observation constellation and one of the largest public-private partnerships in Indian space history,” Pixxel said in a statement.

The project represents a shift from government-built satellite systems to private-sector-led design, financing and operations of national space infrastructure.

“It represents a fundamental shift from exclusively government-built systems to private industry designing, financing, and operating critical national assets, positioning India among a select group of nations capable of deploying advanced multimodal EO constellations through private-sector leadership,” the company said.

The constellation will include very high-resolution optical, multispectral, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and hyperspectral imaging satellites. The system will provide Earth-observation data for Indian government users coordinated through IN-SPACe, while also enabling global commercialisation across sectors such as agriculture, environment, infrastructure, energy and maritime.

Commenting on the agreement, Pixxel founder and chief executive officer Awais Ahmed said the project signals a strategic shift in India’s space ambitions.

“This is a powerful declaration of India’s intent in space,” Ahmed said. “For the first time, India will control its own Earth intelligence infrastructure, designed and operated by Indian companies, serving Indian needs first and global markets second.”

He added that the project validates India’s private space ecosystem.

“By entrusting this Rs 1,200+ crore national project to a consortium of Indian startups, the government validates the country's private space ecosystem and its ability to deliver infrastructure on a global scale,” Ahmed said. “This is what the new space economy looks like: private sector speed and innovation, deployed at national scale.”