Pixxel is one of the Indian space startups that emerged after the government opened the sector to private players.
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Bengaluru-based space-tech company Pixxel has raised $100 million in a Series C funding round co-led by Temasek and Seraphim, making it the largest funding round raised by an Indian space technology company, the company said on Monday.The round also saw participation from new investors 360 ONE Asset and IMM Investment, along with existing investors including Radical Ventures and growX ventures. The latest fundraise takes Pixxel’s total funding to $195 million.Founded by Awais Ahmed, Pixxel started with hyperspectral imaging satellites and has since expanded into Earth intelligence software and satellite systems for commercial and sovereign missions. Its portfolio includes Aurora, an Earth intelligence software platform, and its Firefly hyperspectral satellite constellation.The company plans to use the fresh capital to expand its sensing capabilities through its Honeybee constellation and high-resolution optical imaging satellites, while further developing Aurora as an intelligence layer for Earth observation data.Pixxel will also invest in sovereign Earth observation systems and expand satellite manufacturing through Gigapixxel, its next-generation facility designed for high-rate production of advanced satellites.Over the past two years, Pixxel has deployed six Firefly satellites and launched Aurora. The company has also secured contracts with NASA and the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), won multiple iDEX challenges from the Ministry of Defence, and was selected to lead the development of India’s first public-private Earth observation constellation of 12 satellites under IN-SPACe.The company is also working on an orbital data-centre demonstration satellite as it seeks to expand beyond Earth observation into broader space infrastructure.“This new investment gives us the scale to turn that vision into planetary infrastructure,” said Awais Ahmed, founder and CEO of Pixxel. “More ways of sensing, more intelligence from every image, and more sovereign capability for nations.”Seraphim Space CEO Mark Boggett said Pixxel is positioned across key themes shaping the space sector, including AI-powered Earth observation, sovereign space capabilities and India’s emergence as a global SpaceTech leader.Published on September 7, 2026
