A social media post by Pixxel Co-Founder Kshitij Khandelwal highlighting the difficulties of acquiring land for a satellite manufacturing facility near Bengaluru has triggered responses from Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, each expressing interest in hosting the project.
Sharing his frustration on X, Khandelwal said securing land for the proposed facility had become more challenging than building satellites themselves.
“Trying to get land for making a satellite factory in the outskirts of BLR (Bengaluru) has been way more difficult than actually making said satellites,” he wrote.
The post quickly drew attention from Karnataka’s Industries Department. Karnataka Minister for Large and Medium Industries and Infrastructure Development M B Patil responded directly, assuring support from the state government.
“My office will be in touch,” Patil wrote.
Khandelwal welcomed the response, replying, “Thank you, looking forward!”
The discussion soon evolved into a competition among neighbouring states. Andhra Pradesh Minister for Information Technology, Electronics and Communications Nara Lokesh invited Pixxel to consider Anantapur as an alternative location for the satellite manufacturing unit.
“Kshitij, there’s a new investor-friendly destination on the outskirts of Bengaluru. It’s called Anantapur,” Lokesh wrote.
Promoting Andhra Pradesh as a hub for aerospace and space technology investments, Lokesh highlighted the state’s focus on creating specialised industrial ecosystems to simplify business operations.
“We’re building Space Cities, aerospace parks and ready-to-go industrial ecosystems so founders can spend their time building satellites instead of hunting for land,” he added.
Lokesh also directed the Andhra Pradesh Economic Development Board (AP-EDB) to connect with Pixxel and explore potential investment opportunities.
Tamil Nadu’s Investment Promotion Agency soon joined the conversation, proposing Hosur as another suitable destination. Located around 40 km from Bengaluru, the agency highlighted the city’s strong manufacturing ecosystem and strategic location.
“With its strategic location and strong manufacturing ecosystem, Hosur, Tamil Nadu, could be the ideal destination for your next phase of expansion,” the agency stated.
As the online discussion gained momentum, several users advocated for different locations. An account focused on Odisha’s development also urged the state government to adopt a more proactive approach towards attracting investments.
Pixxel was founded in 2019 by Khandelwal and Awais Ahmed while they were students at BITS Pilani. The company has since emerged as one of India’s leading private space technology startups, focused on developing a constellation of hyperspectral Earth-imaging satellites.
As Chief Technology Officer, Khandelwal leads the company’s technology development, including satellite systems, hyperspectral imaging payloads and Earth-observation data infrastructure. He has also played a key role in building Pixxel’s Firefly satellite constellation.
According to company data available up to 2024, Pixxel has raised a total of $95 million across multiple funding rounds, making it one of India’s most well-funded private space-tech startups.
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