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Pixxel, a Space Data company based in India and USA, launches TD-2; their first fully-fledged satellite hosting one of the highest resolution hyperspectral commercial cameras, bringing them a step closer to building a 24X7 health monitor for the planet.  Launched aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-4 mission from Cape Canaveral, this launch puts them to assemble one of the world’s most advanced constellations of low-earth-orbit imaging satellites.

From being one of the very few finalists in the SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition in 2017 to now launching their own satellites as part of SpaceX’s fourth dedicated rideshare mission, their mission is to accelerate humanity’s expansion into space by making in-space resources available on-demand and turning the earth into a more vibrant and sustainable place in the process remains steadfast even today.

Weighing less than 15kgs, TD-2 is capable of capturing orbital images in more than 150 bands of color from the visible and infrared spectrum with a resolution of 10-meters per pixel-far exceeding the specificity of 30-meter per pixel hyperspectral satellites launched by a few organizations such as NASA, ESA, and ISRO. In just a few weeks from launch, TD-2 will begin amassing information and uncovering the invisible changes wreaking havoc on the planet like natural gas leakages, deforestation, melting ice caps, pollution, and declining crop health.

This launch also comes at the heels of their $25M Series, funding from Radical Ventures, Seraphim Space Capital, Relativity Space co-founder Jordan Noone, Lightspeed Partners, Blume Ventures, and Sparta LLC among others. Their strategic backing joins over 50 customers who have signed a pre-launch agreement with Pixxel from industries spanning agriculture, oil and gas, mining, and climate sectors.

This launch sets the stage for Pixxel’s first commercial phase satellites to be launched in early 2023 and the commercial sale of their data. With 6 satellites flown in a sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) around a 550 km altitude, Pixxel’s hyperspectral constellation will be able to cover any point on the globe every 48 hours.

Click here to know more about Pixxel's Hyperspectral SmallSats.