Pixxel-led consortium wins Rs 1,200-crore PPP, to build India’s first private Earth Observation satellite network

The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) has awarded the contract for the country’s first fully indigenous commercial Earth Observation (EO) satellite constellation to a consortium led by Bengaluru-based PixxelSpace India. The group includes PierSight Space, Satsure Analytics India, and Dhruva Space. The EO will be built under the public-private partnership (PPP) model.

The consortium will invest over Rs 1,200 crore over five years to design, build, and operate a 12-satellite constellation carrying panchromatic, multispectral, hyperspectral, and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) payloads.

Once fully deployed in four years, the network will deliver Analysis Ready Data (ARD) and value-added services for applications in climate change monitoring, disaster management, agriculture, marine surveillance, infrastructure, urban planning, and national security, IN-SPACe said.

“This initiative signals the coming of age of India’s private space industry in the space sector. 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,” said Pawan Goenka, Chairman, IN-SPACe. He added that the EO-PPP model will foster an ecosystem where public and private capabilities reinforce each other to drive growth, innovation, and self-reliance.

The space promoter and regulator said the decision followed a competitive bidding process that saw three consortia shortlisted, including Astra Microwave Products with Bharat Electronics Ltd and Sisir Radar, and GalaxEye Space with CoreEL. Pixxel’s group emerged as the winner after technical and financial evaluations.

The 12-satellite constellation will be entirely designed, manufactured, and operated in India, with launches from Indian soil. The move is expected to sharply reduce reliance on foreign EO data sources, ensure data sovereignty, and strengthen India’s position in the global geospatial intelligence market.

IN-SPACe will provide strategic, technical, and policy support, while the consortium will own and operate the system, including data commercialisation. The project is expected to create thousands of high-skill jobs and contribute to India’s target of growing its space economy from $8.4 billion in 2022 to $44 billion by 2033.

Awais Ahmed, CEO of Bengaluru-based Pixxel, said, “This is India’s moment to lead the world in space-powered solutions. Being the winning proposal to build India’s national EO constellation is a major milestone for Pixxel and our consortium members.” He added that the group is looking forward to building world-class space-tech capabilities that serve the whole planet from Indian soil.

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