Getting land for satellite factory harder than building satellites, says Pixxel CTO
New Delhi, June 18
Pixxel Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer Kshitij Khandelwal has said that acquiring land for a satellite manufacturing facility on the outskirts of Bengaluru proved to be far more difficult than building the satellites themselves.
The CTO highlighted the infrastructure and administrative hurdles encountered by advanced technology and aerospace startups when expanding their physical operations in the Bengaluru region.
"Trying to get land for making a satellite factory in the outskirts of BLR has been way more difficult than actually making said satellites," Khandelwal stated on X.
The public statement regarding the manufacturing constraints immediately prompted reactions from regional administrators who sought to address the firm's industrial land requirements.
Karnataka Minister for Commerce and Industries, Infrastructure M B Patil responded directly to the startup executive's post to offer official assistance from the state government.
"My office will be in touch," Patil replied.
Following the state minister's intervention and assurance of administrative support, the Pixxel co-founder acknowledged the response, stating, "Thank you, looking forward!"
The public discussion concerning the firm's real estate acquisition difficulties also attracted competitive interest from neighbouring state administrations, with Andhra Pradesh extending an invitation to house the proposed satellite factory.
Andhra Pradesh Minister for IT, Electronics and Communication Nara Lokesh responded to Khandelwal's original post, positioning an adjacent region as an alternative industrial destination for the aerospace startup.
"Kshitij, there's a new investor-friendly destination on the outskirts of Bengaluru. It's called Anantapur," Lokesh stated.
The Andhra Pradesh minister emphasised that his administration is specifically structuring industrial zones to eliminate the real estate bottlenecks that distract entrepreneurs from core technological development.
"We're building Space Cities, aerospace parks and ready-to-go industrial ecosystems so founders can spend their time building satellites instead of hunting for land," Lokesh added.
Lokesh subsequently directed the Andhra Pradesh Economic Development Board to initiate formal contact with the space technology company to discuss potential investment opportunities.
"@AP_EDB please get in touch. #ChooseSpeedChooseAP," Lokesh added.
The space technology firm, founded by Awais Ahmed and Kshitij Khandelwal in 2019, raised a total of USD 95 million across all funding rounds, as of 2024.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Having worked in Bengaluru's industrial corridors, I can confirm this. Land acquisition is a nightmare - multiple authorities, unclear titles, and endless paperwork. Pixxel's story is a mirror of our broader infrastructure problem. We celebrate ISRO's achievements but make life hell for new space startups. The real question is: why can't Karnataka proactively set up space parks like Andhra is promising?
As someone who moved from the US to work in India's tech sector, this doesn't surprise me. In America, the city would be fighting over a high-tech employer like Pixxel. Here, the founders have to become real estate experts first. The competitive response from Andhra is refreshing - states are finally realizing that startups mean jobs and revenue. Hope this is a turning point for our ease of doing business.
Kshitij is 100% right. I've seen this pattern - founders waste months on land paperwork when they should be focusing on R&D. The real irony? Pixxel is literally building tech to map Earth from space, but can't find a piece of land on it in Bengaluru. 🙂 That said, glad both Karnataka and Andhra are stepping up. May the best state win, and may Pixxel get its factory soon. Our space sector deserves this.
Fascinating to watch this unfold. In the US, NASA contracts with startups and municipalities offer tax breaks. Here, it's a battle over an industrial plot. Nara Lokesh's 'Choose Speed' tagline is catchy, but talk is cheap - what's the actual process time? Pixxel needs to see if Andhra can deliver on those 'ready-to-go ecosystems'. Either way, this public spat is good for transparency and accountability.
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