India’s private space sector witnessed a major achievement as Bengaluru-based Pixxel Space and Hyderabad-based Dhruva Space successfully launched satellites aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket on August 27. The mission added momentum to the country’s growing space ecosystem.
Pixxel expanded its constellation by adding three new Firefly hyperspectral satellites, bringing its total to six. Founded by Awais Ahmed and Kshitij Khandelwal, Pixxel has built Fireflies that can capture more than 135 spectral bands at a resolution of five metres across a forty kilometre swath, enabling accurate monitoring of ecosystem changes. Outlining the company’s next step, Pixxel CTO Kshitij Khandelwal said, “The upcoming Honeybees are special because they will take us further into the electromagnetic spectrum, enhancing hyperspectral capabilities and increasing the number of use cases we can target.”
For Dhruva Space, the launch marked its first commercial mission. The company hosted payloads for Australia’s Akula Tech and Esper Sats. Co-founded by Sanjay Nekkanti, Krishna Teja Penamakuru, Abhay Egoor, and Chaitanya Dora Supureddy, Dhruva Space builds satellite platforms and ground stations. Commenting on the partnership, CEO Sanjay Nekkanti said, “Teaming up with our commercial partners in Australia (Akula Tech and Esper Sats) creates remarkable opportunities for Indo-Australian Space business, which will, in turn, foster a long-term partnership.”
Both companies are also part of a consortium with PierSight and SatSure to develop India’s first homegrown earth observation satellite network under IN-SPACe’s public private partnership model.
Backed by strong investor support, the two startups are scaling rapidly. Pixxel has raised 95 million US dollars from investors including Google, Lightspeed, and Glade Brook Capital Partners LLC. Dhruva Space has secured 15 million US dollars from backers such as IAN Alpha Fund and Blue Ashva Capital.
These developments highlight India’s rising presence in the global space-tech industry and its steady progress towards building advanced, indigenous satellite networks.
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