SatSure, Pixxel, PierSight & Dhruva Space Teams up to Build India’s Earth Observation Constellation

SatSure, Pixxel, PierSight & Dhruva Space Teams up to Build India’s Earth Observation Constellation

In a historic move for the country, a private Indian consortium will deliver the nation's first Earth Observation Satellite System (EOSS), a 12-satellite network to be developed over the next four to five years with an investment of more than 1,200 crores. The consortium of SatSure, Pixxel Space, PierSight, and Dhruva Space has been awarded to build, operate, and commercialize a constellation of Earth Observation (EO) satellites under the Earth Observation Public-Private-Partnership (EO-PPP) programme announced by IN-SPACe.

Dr. Pawan Goenka, Chairman, IN-SPACe, highlighted how the programme reflects a structural shift in India's space industry, and said, "This initiative signals the coming of age of India's private space industry in the space sector. It demonstrates the capability and confidence of Indian companies to lead large-scale, technologically advanced, and commercially viable space missions that serve both national and global markets. The EO-PPP model fosters an ecosystem where public and private capabilities reinforce each other to drive growth, innovation, and self-reliance."

Prateep Basu, Co-founder & CEO, SatSure said, "We are excited to have received this opportunity from IN-SPACe in contributing to building India's sovereign capabilities in the domain of satellite Earth observation and data intelligence. Together, with Pixxel Space, PierSight, and Dhruva Space, we have ensured that not only do we provide the most comprehensive solution for India's domestic EO needs, but also usher in a new era of private sector collaboration to achieve the monumental vision that IN-SPACe set for the growth of the Indian private space industry. SatSure, with its subsidiary KaleidEO, will be contributing by commercializing its novel optical and multi-spectral payload that provides high coverage at sub-meter spatial resolution. I believe this is a milestone not just for India's space story, but for how EO technology can deliver meaningful, measurable value to users across different industries."

The EO-PPP programme will deploy a constellation of 12 multi-sensor satellites over the next three to five years, built and operated by Pixxel Space as the lead, and integrating panchromatic, multispectral, hyperspectral, and SAR payload to deliver unmatched sovereign Earth Intelligence for India, while building for the world. Awais Ahmed, Founder & CEO, Pixxel, said, "Dhruva Space's expertise in satellite platforms and mission operations, paired with Pixxel's leadership in hyperspectral imaging and spacecraft manufacturing, SatSure's strength in geospatial analytics, and PierSight's advanced SAR and maritime monitoring capabilities, creates a partnership with truly complementary strengths. Together, we're building a fully indigenous EO system that will deliver unmatched versatility for national priorities and global applications, and showcase the depth and capability of India's private Space sector."

Sanjay Nekkanti, Co-founder & CEO, Dhruva Space, comments, "Dhruva Space is thrilled to join forces in this watershed initiative. Our upcoming 280,000 sq ft state-of-the-art spacecraft manufacturing complex in Telangana will substantially augment our high-throughput manufacturing, assembly, integration, and test (AIT) capacity, enabling rapid delivery of bespoke satellites and mission-critical subsystems. Complementing this is Dhruva Space's capability to deliver turnkey Ground Segment infrastructure, ensuring secure, seamless operations across the EO constellation lifecycle. By integrating these competencies with the domain expertise of our consortium partners, we are positioned to deliver a resilient, end-to-end EO architecture that addresses strategic requirements while meeting global commercial benchmarks."

"SAR makes the constellation operational 24/7 in all weather conditions. Our role is to deliver radar–first, analysis–ready products with low latency, so agencies and enterprises get alerts and evidence, not just raw data," adds Gaurav Seth, Co–founder & CEO, PierSight.

This landmark EO-PPP initiative not only cements India's position as a leader in space-powered solutions but also establishes a robust foundation for a sovereign Earth Intelligence ecosystem. Beyond contributing the optical multispectral satellites, SatSure's expertise in Artificial Intelligence led imagery interpretation, integration, and automation for translating satellite data to decision insights is a key component for moving the global industry from simply observing the planet to making informed, impactful decisions at scale.

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GNSS Constellations - A list of all GNSS satellites by constellations

beidou

Satellite NameOrbit Date
BeiDou-3 G4Geostationary Orbit (GEO)17 May, 2023
BeiDou-3 G2Geostationary Orbit (GEO)09 Mar, 2020
Compass-IGSO7Inclined Geosynchronous Orbit (IGSO)09 Feb, 2020
BeiDou-3 M19Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)16 Dec, 2019
BeiDou-3 M20Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)16 Dec, 2019
BeiDou-3 M21Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)23 Nov, 2019
BeiDou-3 M22Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)23 Nov, 2019
BeiDou-3 I3Inclined Geosynchronous Orbit (IGSO)04 Nov, 2019
BeiDou-3 M23Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)22 Sep, 2019
BeiDou-3 M24Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)22 Sep, 2019

galileo

Satellite NameOrbit Date
GSAT0223MEO - Near-Circular05 Dec, 2021
GSAT0224MEO - Near-Circular05 Dec, 2021
GSAT0219MEO - Near-Circular25 Jul, 2018
GSAT0220MEO - Near-Circular25 Jul, 2018
GSAT0221MEO - Near-Circular25 Jul, 2018
GSAT0222MEO - Near-Circular25 Jul, 2018
GSAT0215MEO - Near-Circular12 Dec, 2017
GSAT0216MEO - Near-Circular12 Dec, 2017
GSAT0217MEO - Near-Circular12 Dec, 2017
GSAT0218MEO - Near-Circular12 Dec, 2017

glonass

Satellite NameOrbit Date
Kosmos 2569--07 Aug, 2023
Kosmos 2564--28 Nov, 2022
Kosmos 2559--10 Oct, 2022
Kosmos 2557--07 Jul, 2022
Kosmos 2547--25 Oct, 2020
Kosmos 2545--16 Mar, 2020
Kosmos 2544--11 Dec, 2019
Kosmos 2534--27 May, 2019
Kosmos 2529--03 Nov, 2018
Kosmos 2527--16 Jun, 2018

gps

Satellite NameOrbit Date
Navstar 82Medium Earth Orbit19 Jan, 2023
Navstar 81Medium Earth Orbit17 Jun, 2021
Navstar 78Medium Earth Orbit22 Aug, 2019
Navstar 77Medium Earth Orbit23 Dec, 2018
Navstar 76Medium Earth Orbit05 Feb, 2016
Navstar 75Medium Earth Orbit31 Oct, 2015
Navstar 74Medium Earth Orbit15 Jul, 2015
Navstar 73Medium Earth Orbit25 Mar, 2015
Navstar 72Medium Earth Orbit29 Oct, 2014
Navstar 71Medium Earth Orbit02 Aug, 2014

irnss

Satellite NameOrbit Date
NVS-01Geostationary Orbit (GEO)29 May, 2023
IRNSS-1IInclined Geosynchronous Orbit (IGSO)12 Apr, 2018
IRNSS-1HSub Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (Sub-GTO)31 Aug, 2017
IRNSS-1GGeostationary Orbit (GEO)28 Apr, 2016
IRNSS-1FGeostationary Orbit (GEO)10 Mar, 2016
IRNSS-1EGeosynchronous Orbit (IGSO)20 Jan, 2016
IRNSS-1DInclined Geosynchronous Orbit (IGSO)28 Mar, 2015
IRNSS-1CGeostationary Orbit (GEO)16 Oct, 2014
IRNSS-1BInclined Geosynchronous Orbit (IGSO)04 Apr, 2014
IRNSS-1AInclined Geosynchronous Orbit (IGSO)01 Jul, 2013
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