Indian spacetech startup Pixxel raises $100 million in Series C funding
New Delhi, Sept 7
India's one of the largest space-tech startups in terms of fundraising said on Monday it raised $100 million in a Series C funding round which is the largest single funding round raised by a space technology entity in India, taking its total funding to $195 million.
The Bengaluru-headquartered organisation said the investment will support its next phase of growth as it expands across satellite sensing, Earth intelligence software and space systems for commercial and sovereign missions.
Pixxel which began with hyperspectral satellites designed to capture information beyond conventional imagery has expanded into Earth intelligence software through its Aurora platform and satellite systems.
The Series C funding will accelerate development of its next-generation Honeybee hyperspectral constellation, including capabilities in shortwave infrared (SWIR) as well as new technologies such as synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and ultra-high-resolution optical imaging. The first Honeybee satellite is expected to launch in 2027.
In addition, the will also develop Aurora as an intelligence layer that combines datasets and converts them into decision-ready insights, while expanding its work on sovereign Earth observation systems for civil, defence and intelligence applications, according to Pixxel.
It plans to expand satellite manufacturing capacity in India and the United States to support higher-rate production of advanced satellites.
"Years ago, we set out to build a health monitor for the planet. Hyperspectral imaging gave us a fundamentally new way to see Earth," Pixxel founder and CEO Awais Ahmed said.
The latest funding comes after Pixxel deployed six Firefly satellites over the past two years, forming what it described as the world's highest-resolution commercial hyperspectral constellation, and launched Aurora.
Pixxel has also secured contracts with NASA and the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office, won multiple iDEX challenges from India's Ministry of Defence and unveiled plans for an orbital data-centre demonstration satellite.
The startup was also selected to lead development of India's first public-private Earth observation constellation of 12 satellites under IN-SPACe.
The latest investment will help build infrastructure to deliver Earth observation intelligence for governments, industries and institutions, it added.
— IANS
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