Private Sector Satellite Makers to Launch Earth Observation Satellites in India

According to the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), three private sector satellite companies are gearing up to send their earth observation satellites during this fiscal year. The companies involved are GalaxEye Space Solutions Pvt Ltd from Chennai, Dhruva Space based in Hyderabad, and Pixxel from Bengaluru. GalaxEye’s satellite, Dhrishti, is scheduled for launch in the last quarter of 2023.

The company plans to establish a high-resolution multi-payload microsatellite constellation with optical and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) payloads, enabling data fusion for applications such as environmental monitoring, illegal vessel monitoring, and insurance. Dhruva Space’s hyperspectral mission launch is set for the first quarter of 2024.

Additionally, Satsure’s subsidiary KaleidEO is preparing a constellation of four satellites to provide images with a spatial resolution of 1 meter. However, the exact launch dates for these satellites have not been specified by IN-SPACe. The emergence of these private sector players in the Indian earth observation satellite segment holds promise for advancements in various sectors with enhanced satellite-based data and imagery.