IN-SPACe to build 1st private Earth observation satellite constellation

The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) on Wednesday teamed up with four space startups to build India’s first private Earth observation satellite constellation.

Led by Pixxel, the consortium -- named Allied Orbits -- comprises Pixxel, Dhruva Space, PierSight, and Satsure.

The space startups will design, build, own, and operate the country's first privately led national satellite system under a Public-Private Partnership framework, as per an official statement.

In the next five years, the consortium will invest over Rs1,200 crore. They will deploy 12 satellites spanning very high-resolution optical, multispectral, synthetic aperture radar (SAR), and hyperspectral imaging, enabling continuous and reliable access to earth intelligence.

The consortium also combines strengths in space hardware, analytics, and mission operations to create an end-to-end ecosystem spanning satellites, ground infrastructure, value-added services, and end-user analytics.

The satellites will deliver Analysis Ready Data (ARD) and value-added services for applications including agriculture, disaster management, climate monitoring, infrastructure planning, and national security. The programme will also provide reliable access to Earth observation data for Indian government users. It will also enable global commercialisation across sectors such as agriculture, environment, infrastructure, energy, and maritime.

The initiative will reduce dependence on foreign satellite data and strengthen India’s geospatial and space-based services ecosystem through structured public-private collaboration.

“This is a powerful declaration of India’s intent in space. For the first time, India will control its own Earth intelligence infrastructure, designed and operated by Indian companies, serving Indian needs first and global markets second,” said Awais Ahmed, Founder and CEO of Pixxel.