In an unprecedented move, a consortium led by Bengaluru-based Pixxel has secured a contract to design, build, and operate India's first fully indigenous commercial Earth Observation (EO) satellite constellation with a bid of ₹0. This means the consortium will bear the entire ₹1,200 crore investment, foregoing the government's public-private partnership (PPP) offer of up to ₹350 crore. The consortium includes Pixxel, PierSight, SatSure, and Dhruva Space.
Pawan Goenka, Chairman of IN-SPACe, confirmed the zero bid, emphasizing the private sector's strong belief in the space economy's potential in India. He noted that the consortium's willingness to invest ₹1,200 crores of their own capital demonstrates their expectation of recovering their investment over time.
The project involves deploying a constellation of 12 satellites equipped with optical, hyperspectral, and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensors over the next four years. These satellites will deliver high-resolution data for various applications, including precision agriculture, water quality monitoring, land-use mapping, environmental compliance, disaster assessment, maritime operations, national security, and infrastructure development.
The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), under the Department of Space, announced the selection of the PixxelSpace India-led consortium following a competitive bidding process where three consortia were shortlisted after technical evaluation. Besides the PixxelSpace India-led consortium, there were two other consortia – Astra Microwave Products Limited, Hyderabad (with Bharat Electronics Limited, Sisir Radar and Spectragaze Systems), and GalaxEye Space, Bengaluru (with CoreEL). GalaxEye's bid was ₹97 crore. This initiative marks the first time a private consortium will invest such a significant amount in launching a constellation of EO satellites.
The EO constellation will be deployed in phases over the next four years to ensure continuous service upgrades and expanded coverage. Once operational, it will be among the most advanced EO systems globally, designed, built, and operated entirely in India. The project will be implemented through a special purpose vehicle (SPV), with a 90-day limit for signing the agreement.
This PPP model allows the private firms to own and operate the EO system, including satellite manufacturing, ground infrastructure, commercialization of data services, and launches from India, while the Indian government provides technical, strategic, and policy support. By generating high-resolution, indigenous satellite data, the initiative will significantly reduce India's reliance on foreign sources, ensure data sovereignty, and position the country among the global leaders in space-based data solutions.
