Indian Hyperspectral giant Pixxel yesterday finally inaugurated their much-awaited 30,000 sq ft Spacecraft Manufacturing Facility in Bengaluru—which would be crucial for manufacturing assembly, integration, and testing of their upcoming satellites.
The journey to building a facility, capable of manufacturing, assembly and integration of 20-25 smaller satellites simultaneously has been a fascinating one.
Awais Ahmed, Co-founder and CEO at Pixxel, narrated how a clique of four from BITS Pilani working out of their dorm, later moved to Bangalore expanding to a 10-member team.
Ahmed hailed ISRO Chairman S Somnath for the national agency’s continuous support as a guiding light. He recalled how the company evolved from planning launches with the Russian SOYUZ rocket to the Department of Space showing interest in launching their satellite aboard the PSLV—as the government opened the space sector to private industries.
Gauging Capability of Facility
The facility will ensure a process from concept to launch, providing a space for Pixxel’s satellites to be designed from scratch under one roof. It will play a very crucial role, as the company gears to launch at least six more satellites by June this year, including the Firefly constellation of satellites.
“We’re also working on the honeybee class of satellites which will just expand the capabilities of our satellites and these will be much larger 200 kg satellites,” he added.
The space is uniquely designed, with two modern clean rooms of ISO Class 7 and ISO Class 8 that safeguard against contaminants that could impair satellite functionality during the satellite assembly and integration process.
Additionally, it houses labs for advanced camera integration, electronics R&D, and electrical assembly; along with a mechanical workshop, a mission control room, and an office space that currently hosts 140-150 people, but has the capacity for 200.
The CEO stressed the facility’s role in Pixxel’s growth, anticipating its use for over a decade. Regarding the facility cost, he mentioned it was in the single-digit millions, and investments were completed to support Firefly satellite launches and iDEX program requirements, which is a Ministry of Defense initiative. The goal is to ensure Pixxel’s capability to scale up and meet future demands.
The focus is on regular satellite production. “In an ideal situation, if everything is optimized, it’s ready for 25 satellites every quarter, adding up to 75 satellites that we can have for every single year,” Ahmed added.
The increased capability would come in handy as the company plans to expand the satellite count to 24, which would be crucial for global coverage.
“This is why we think this facility was also important because we couldn’t do that in the previous facility that we had. You couldn’t depend on someone else to rent these facilities,” explained Ahmed.
Supply Chain
Pixxel has a diverse and extensive supply chain, spanning approximately 26 countries. Ahmed stated, “The supply chain comes predominantly from Europe, North America, and South Africa, maybe Japan a little bit as well.”
He clarified that the major share of components originates from North America and Europe. However, he underscored Pixxel’s commitment to indigenous development, mentioning that about half of the satellite is still indigenously built and designed.
“All of our electronics, structure and entire software are completely designed and written in-house,” boasted Ahmed. While acknowledging the necessity of procuring certain components like solar cell sensors, he stressed Pixxel’s intention to increase indigenous production, stating, “50% of the components from international companies, based out of 26 countries.”
Advanced, Unique and Cost-effective
Pixxel also has the rare feat of deploying the world’s first hyperspectral satellite constellation commercially from India—providing a cost advantage over competitors. He noted, “About 1/5 on each satellite that we do,” resulting in a “5x to 10x cost savings per satellite.”
However, the upcoming Firfely constellation, “Will be six times better than what NASA had done at 30 meters,” Ahmed stated.
This improvement in resolution is a distinctive feature, especially in the hyperspectral domain where achieving higher quality while keeping the satellite small and cost-effective is challenging.
He pointed out that Pixxel’s approach to building their cameras and satellites is “one of a kind literally in the world.”
These capabilities and cost-effectiveness of the information are leading to a focus on sustainability and financial independence.
“We are already a revenue-generating company today,” said Ahmed emphasising their utilisation of three satellites, indicating that they are “fully booked up to the rim” for image requests, with 50% for paying customers, 30% for potential conversion, and 20% for internal calibration and validation.
Ahmed elaborated on the enhanced capabilities of the Firefly constellation, noting, “Each satellite in the Firefly constellation will have five times the capacity compared to our initial satellites.” This increased capacity allows them to capture a substantial amount of imagery, approximately “40,000 square kilometres per satellite.”
With this, he said that they “Can continue to sustain our operations with just the revenue that we get rather than wanting to raise investment.”
Health Monitor
Going ahead they envision building a “health monitor for planet Earth” with a focus on diverse applications for both government and commercial sectors. He emphasised the core priorities, stating, “The core of our priorities and focuses [are] around use cases and applications that we think can help [build] a more sustainable base.”
The company aims to address specific challenges in existing satellite constellations, particularly in areas like early detection of crop diseases or pest infestations. Ahmed highlighted the need for a significant improvement in detail, moving from “basic crop health to identify detailed nutrient maps in soil” and addressing issues such as methane leaks and greenhouse gases.
