India’s first domestically produced commercial Earth observation constellation to be led by Pixxel.

A consortium led by PixxelSpace India has been chosen by the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) to design, construct, and run the nation’s first entirely domestic commercial Earth Observation (EO) satellite constellation using a ground-breaking Public-Private Partnership (EO-PPP) model.

Three industry groups were shortlisted following a thorough technical examination, and the winning consortium—which also included Piersight Space, Satsure Analytics India, and Dhruva Space—was selected via a competitive bidding process.

A commercial group will launch 12 advanced EO satellites with panchromatic, multispectral, hyperspectral, and microwave SAR sensors in the next five years, marking a historic first. The investment will total over 1,200 crore.

In addition to meeting the demand for geospatial intelligence worldwide, the constellation will provide high-resolution, analysis-ready data and value-added services for applications like agriculture, disaster management, climate monitoring, marine surveillance, urban planning, infrastructure development, and national security.

The effort seeks to guarantee India’s data sovereignty, lessen dependency on other sources, and establish the country as a leader in space-based data solutions worldwide by producing its own satellite data.

“This initiative signals the coming of age of India’s private space industry,” said Dr. Pawan Goenka, Chairman, IN-SPACe. “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.”