Pixxel, India’s first company to launch private commercial satellites in space, has raised $36 million in Series B funding round from Google, along with the participation of Radical Ventures, Lightspeed, Blume Ventures, GrowX, Sparta and Athera.
The new fund will advance Pixxel’s mission to build the world’s first and highest-resolution hyperspectral satellite constellation, delivering actionable climate insights on a planetary scale. It will also help further the development of Aurora: Pixxel’s AI-powered analytics platform to make hyperspectral analysis accessible for everyone.
Data from Pixxel’s satellites will help global organisations monitor emissions, water pollution, gas leaks, oil spills, soil composition, forest biodiversity and crop health in unprecedented detail and at faster speeds.
Additionally, the new funds will bolster Pixxel’s plans to launch 6 satellites in 2024 and 18 other satellites by 2025.
“At Pixxel, we believe that the future of our planet lies in our ability to monitor and protect its health precisely. With this round of funding, we are even closer now to realising our mission of building a health monitor for the planet, and empowering people around the world to make informed decisions about our collective well-being,” said Awais Ahmed, co-founder and CEO of Pixxel.
Pixxel’s hyperspectral satellites can capture images at hundreds of wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum and reveal key data about the health of the planet. Both the hyperspectral constellation and advanced data analytics platform will provide up to 10x more information compared to today’s multispectral satellites in space and increase the spectral resolution available by 50x.
Pixxel has seen a landmark year of growth in 2022, launching three pathfinder missions into orbit and growing its customer base by 5x. Recently, the company announced a 5-year contract with the NRO Commercial Systems Program Office (CSPO) for the Strategic Commercial Enhancements for Commercial Hyperspectral Capabilities program.
Pixxel’s venture funding now totals to $71 million. New investors join existing backers like Lightspeed, Radical Ventures, Accenture Ventures, Relativity’s Jordan Noone, Seraphim Capital, Ryan Johnson, Blume Ventures, Sparta LLC, growX Ventures, Athera Venture Partners, and Omnivore VC, among others.