Pixxel-led Allied Orbits wins deal to build India's private EO constellation
Pixxel · Dhruva Space · PierSight Space · Satsure · IN-SPACe
Pixxel-led Allied Orbits will build India's first fully privately owned national EO constellation, per a government Lok Sabha reply.
what happened
India's Minister of State for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, Jitendra Singh, told the Lok Sabha in an Aug. 12 written reply that the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) has approved the Pixxel-led Allied Orbits Private Limited consortium, which also includes Dhruva Space, PierSight Space, and Satsure Analytics India, to design, build, own, and operate a 12-satellite national Earth observation constellation under a public-private partnership, per SatNews and Newsage.in. The constellation is to carry 5 ultra-high-resolution optical satellites (4 spectral bands), 3 multispectral satellites (8 bands), 2 hyperspectral optical satellites (250 bands), and 2 X-band SAR satellites, at a stated investment of more than 1,200 crore rupees (roughly $144 million), with full operational capability targeted for 2029.
why it matters
This is India's first fully privately owned and operated national Earth observation constellation, giving Pixxel, Dhruva Space, PierSight, and SatSure a combined multi-sensor government anchor program instead of relying solely on commercial sales, and extending the sovereign-constellation model to Indian industry rather than a government agency. For EO resellers and Indian government data buyers, it signals New Delhi is funding a domestic alternative spanning optical, hyperspectral, and SAR modalities in one program.
for who
Indian government EO data buyers, EO operators competing for Indian government contracts
signal-to-noise
quick facts
- Companies
- Pixxel, Dhruva Space, PierSight Space, Satsure, IN-SPACe
- Category
- constellation
- Impact
- major
- SNR
- 4 / 5
- Event date
- 2026-08-12
- Published
- 2026-08-27 05:31 UTC