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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday addressed the first edition of the Mann Ki Baat radio program of the year and lauded Bengaluru-based private space-tech startup Pixxel for its significant contribution to strengthening the country’s space sector.
Recently, space-tech startup Pixxel achieved a historic feat by giving India the first private earth imaging satellite constellation. The constellation, developed by Pixxel, has been named ‘Firefly.’
In the 118th episode of Mann Ki Baat, Prime Minister Modi said, “Today I feel proud to tell you that Bengaluru’s Pixxel, India’s space-tech startup, has successfully launched India’s first private satellite constellation ‘Firefly.’ This satellite constellation is the world’s highest-resolution hyperspectral satellite constellation.”
According to the NDTV report, three ‘Firefly’ satellites were launched into 550-kilometre low Earth orbit earlier this week using a SpaceX Falcon-9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Ahead of the launch, the satellites were integrated via Exolaunch. The satellites are targeted at delivering critical climate and Earth insights with unmatched precision.
The ‘Firefly’ constellation is the country’s first commercial satellite constellation. Fireflies are the world’s highest-resolution hyperspectral satellites, providing unprecedented precision in monitoring the planet and setting a new benchmark for hyperspectral imaging capabilities.