ISRO To Launch Pixxel's Hyperspectral Imaging Satellite On Saturday

Pixxel, a space tech startup, is set to launch its third hyperspectral satellite, Anand, from the Sriharikota spaceport on Saturday with the help of ISRO's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).

Anand is a hyperspectral microsatellite that weighs less than 15 kg but has more than 150 wavelengths, allowing it to capture more detailed images of the Earth than today's non-hyperspectral satellites have no more than 10 wavelengths.

The satellite imagery can be used to detect pest infestations, map forest fires and identify soil stress and oil slicks, among other things, according to a Pixxel statement released on Monday.

“We are finally launching this week, after more than 18 months of delay, many many retests, and more than two years of sweat and hard work by the team,” Awais Ahmed, Founder and CEO of Pixxel said on Twitter.

Pixxel, founded by Ahmed and Kshitij Khandelwal, became the first Indian company to launch a commercial satellite, Shakuntala, using Elon Musk's SpaceX Falcon-9 rocket in April.

According to the company, Pixxel's hyperspectral satellites are unique in their ability to provide hundreds of bands of information with global coverage at a very high frequency, making them ideal for disaster relief, agricultural monitoring, energy monitoring, and urban planning applications.

When compared to other conventional satellites in orbit, the satellites can beam down up to 50 times more information with unprecedented detail.

Pixxel has already signed agreements with Rio Tinto and Data Farming to identify mineral resources and monitor active and determining crop issues using hyperspectral datasets.

The resulting imagery will provide the team with targeted inputs for improving the form factor and imaging capabilities of the next batch of commercial-grade satellites.

With this launch, Pixxel moves closer to realising its vision of creating a global health monitor using a constellation of cutting-edge hyperspectral small satellites in space.

Lightspeed, Radical Ventures, Relativity's Jordan Noone, Seraphim Capital, Ryan Johnson and Accenture are among the investors in Pixxel.