Pixxel, a Bengaluru-based space technology company backed by Google and building the world’s highest-resolution hyperspectral satellite constellation, has successfully launched the first three satellites of its Firefly constellation.
The Firefly constellation also marks a watershed moment in India’s space journey as the nation’s first commercial satellite constellation. The satellites were integrated via Exolaunch and launched aboard the Transporter-12 rideshare mission with SpaceX from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California.
Another Bengaluru-based startup, Aditya Birla-backed Digantara, also announced the successful launch of its SCOT (Space Camera for Object Tracking) mission for space surveillance, which will detect and track objects as small as 5 centimetre, as part of SpaceX’s Transporter-12 mission.
This launch marks the first phase of Pixxel’s commercial constellation, with three additional Firefly satellites scheduled to launch in the second quarter of 2025.
This marks a major milestone for Pixxel as it begins commercial operations, delivering critical climate and Earth insights to industries worldwide and solidifying its position as a global leader in Earth observation.
The Fireflies, currently the world’s highest-resolution commercial-grade hyperspectral satellites, bring unprecedented precision to monitoring the planet and set a new benchmark for hyperspectral imaging capabilities. With a 5-metre resolution attained for the first time in a hyperspectral spacecraft, Fireflies are 6x sharper than the 30-metre standard of most existing hyperspectral satellites, capturing fine details previously invisible to conventional systems.
