changeadminOn 16th January 2024, India made a historic achievement as its Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) mission’s docking operation was completed and it became the fourth country in the world to achieve this technological feat.
ISRO launched the mission on 30th December 2024, with the successful launch of the SpaDeX spacecraft using a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota in the Eastern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.
After some initial hiccups and misses, ISRO announced its mission success a couple of weeks later. The technological prowess of docking and undocking is critical for future advancements such as satellite servicing, space station operations, and interplanetary exploration.
SpaDeX mission will play a critical role in supporting India’s space goals, such as the Gaganyaan mission (human spaceflight), sending an Indian astronaut to the Moon and setting up the Bharat Antariksh Space Station (Indian Space Station).
While this news was well covered by India’s news channels and social media, one space news from another Indian startup that slipped through the cracks happened across the North Pacific Ocean in California.
On 14th January, India’s space-tech startup Pixxel launched three Firefly hyperspectral imaging satellites aboard a SpaceX rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
Firefly is Pixxel’s flagship hyperspectral imaging satellite constellation, featuring six of the highest-resolution commercial hyperspectral satellites with other three to be launched later this year.
These satellites will help to capture fine details previously invisible to conventional systems for issues like environmental monitoring, resource management, agriculture, mining and defence.
Founded in 2019 by Awais Ahmed and Kshitij Khandelwal, Pixxel is a space technology company specializing in offering insights for real-time management of climate and environmental issues.
Interestingly, in November 2022, Bengaluru-based Pixxel became the first Indian private company to launch a hyperspectral satellite named ‘Anand’ onboard an ISRO PSLV rocket.
The company focuses on hyperspectral imaging satellite capture images across hundreds of wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum. The technology is valuable for gaining insights into the planet’s health addressing environmental issues, measuring climate risks, and monitoring water resources.
In September 2024, the company became the first Indian space startup to sign a deal with NASA whereby the space-tech startup Pixxel will provide the US government and academic partners with hyperspectral earth observation data to empower earth science research and application activities.
The space-tech startup Pixxel has prominent investors onboard like Google, Lightspeed, Radical Ventures, Accenture, M&G Catalyst, and Glade Brook Capital Partners.
Pixxel was on the annual list of Change Started 11 Green Startups of the Year 2023.
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