Spacetech startup Pixxel inaugurates satellite testing facility in Bengaluru

Spacetech startup Pixxel on Monday inaugurated its new assembly, integration and testing (AIT) facility in Bengaluru.

Sreedhara Somanath, chairperson of the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro), inaugurated the facility built in northern Bengaluru. The facility consists of a ‘clean room’ and testing area spread over 20,000 square feet, with the remaining portions spread over more than 50,000 square feet.

In a keynote speech, Somanath said that the facility reminded him of his early days building the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) for Isro years ago.

“Building a satellite is one thing, and building a business around them is a different thing. Every satellite has to be unique and the demands of the market change very quickly, even every three or four years, so you’ll have to be very dynamic to keep up with that. I’m sure your team will be able to build that niche over time (sic),” Somanath said.

The facility will be used to integrate and test Pixxel’s satellites, which will be part of projects like the Fireflies constellation and the Honeybees constellation, made up of multiple small satellites used for imaging, among other things.

The Google and Lightspeed-backed startup began operations in 2019 and last raised $36 million in a funding round in June 2023. The company is now working to launch six satellites in 2024, and 18 satellites by 2025, the company had said back then.