Why the earth observation satellite market is exploding

Sometime early next year, India’s space agency, ISRO, will launch the NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellite. It will be a prestigious event, marking the first collaboration between India and the US in hardware for earth observation. In terms of its technical heft and the high price tag — $1.5 billion — the NISAR mission is unique. 

The NISAR satellite, built jointly by India and the US, is quite a gizmo — its hyperspectral imaging capability can detect even tiny changes on earth’s surface. This can tell, for example, the health of bridges, levees, dams and aqueducts, and also enhance our understanding of phenomena like earthquakes and volcanoes, help spot new earthquake-prone areas, and so on. 

NISAR will be a crowning moment in a space-related activity that is taking the world by storm: earth observation. This is thanks mainly to advancements in satellite-based imaging technology, as well as a drop in launch costs. 

Bumped-up tech

Earth observation satellites are nothing new. For decades, weather and remote sensing satellites have been orbiting the earth, providing images. But, now, the technology has bumped up. 

“Every technology has its time,” says Awais Ahmed, Founder and CEO, Pixxel Space, an imaging startup that has three satellites in orbit, and plans to send up six more next year. In a chat with Quantum, Ahmed explains that in the 1990s, panchromatic imaging was the leading technology. The more advanced multispectral imaging came around 2010. “Today, there is a wave of hyperspectral imaging,” he says. The technique involves analysing a wide spectrum light (and infra-red), instead of merely assigning primary colors — red, green or blue — to each pixel. The light striking each pixel is broken down into various spectral bands to provide more information on the object imaged. More bands (or wavelengths) mean more use cases. 

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Synthetic aperture radar (SAR), which can see through clouds or camouflage, has also gotten better. The startup GalaxEye has developed the world’s first multi-sensor imaging satellite, which has both optic and SAR sensors for improved imaging. 

Newer uses

“The combination of advancements in satellite technology, improved resolution capabilities and real-time data processing has empowered decision-makers to respond more effectively to dynamic scenarios,” says Krishanu Acharya, CEO and co-founder of Suhora, a startup that recently launched Spade, a platform that provides real-time satellite data from multiple sources to subscribers. 

Moreover, “integration of AI into geospatial analytics has unlocked new applications, driving interest across various industries for proactive and predictive insights,” Acharya says. 

The agriculture and defence sectors were the first to use satellite imaging technology, but now the demand is from all over. Satellite-aided precision agriculture is already happening, even if not on a large scale. Satellites can identify crop disease in a corner of a field, provide weather forecasts to accurately time water and fertilizer use, warn of approaching swarms of pests — as an ongoing project from the Meerut Institute of Engineering and Technology has demonstrated. Satellites can also spot algal blooms that affect fisheries — recently, a Pixxel satellite spotted an algal bloom in a lake in Utah. 

But more use cases are emerging. A glass company is asking for images that show buildings under construction, to which it can sell glass. Godrej Agrovet and ITC are using GalaxEye’s images to track production in shrimp farms in Andhra Pradesh. Oil and gas companies want satellite images, as do mining companies. Pixxel Space already has 60 customers. 

Falling cost

Vishesh Rajaram, Managing Partner at Speciale Invest, a deep-tech venture capital firm that has invested in both a launch vehicle company (Agnikul Cosmos) and a satellite company (GalaxEye), says the cost of producing satellites, launching them and processing data has fallen over the past decade. This has led to increased availability and affordability of high-quality earth imagery, Rajaram says. 

Album from space

Optical imaging is done by cameras that capture reflected visible light or infra-red. Optical cameras on satellites capture reflected light from earth to create a picture, like the regular cameras we use. 

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) systems in satellites send radio frequency waves, which hit the ground and bounce back. The reflected waves are captured and an image is built. As such, SAR can see through cloud cover or camouflage.

With launch costs coming down — $6-8 million for a 150 kg satellite today — companies are building satellites with shorter lives (7-8 years compared with 15-20 years earlier), so they can replace old satellites with newer and better ones. More companies are also jumping into the fray. Applications for eight satellite launches are pending with the Indian space regulator, IN-SPACe, but companies have even bigger plans in store. Pixxel plans to send up 18 more satellites in 2026 and 2027. Nibe Space, set up in June 2024 (part of Pune-based defence and aerospace components manufacturer Nibe) intends to launch 40 satellites in the next six years. These will be 150-200 kg satellites with optical, IR and SAR sensors, Rishi Siwach, Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Programmes, Nibe Space, says. Incidentally, Nibe’s technology partner is Thales of France, which wants to enter the Indian market through Nibe. 

Just the beginning

The earth observation satellite market is exploding. The consultancy NovaSpace said in July that the number of EO satellites would “almost triple”. It estimated that 5,401 EO satellites would be launched between 2024 and 2033, up 190 per cent from 1,864 in the last ten years. This means $131 billion in manufacturing revenues and $40 billion in launch revenues, it said. 

Rajaram believes this is just the beginning. With AI and technologies such as edge computing (where a part of the image processing happens onboard the satellite), costs would further drop. “As costs plummet and availability soars, we anticipate new and innovative use cases, unlocking unprecedented opportunities for industries and governments,” he says.