minute read Two Indian space startups Pixxel and Digantara announced the launch of their satellite aboard a SpaceX rocket. The launch happened at 19:15 GMT just after midnight in India from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, USA. Pixxel became the first private company in India to establish its own constellation of satellites after the launch. The company plans to launch three additional satellites in the next two months followed by 18 more satellites to complete its global hyperspectral constellation. Why it matters? The launch highlights the growing capability of India’s private sector in space technology. The advancements in hyperspectral imaging and space surveillance can significantly enhance global environmental monitoring and space safety. Who does this impact and how? Environmental and Defense Sectors: Gain from precise data for earth observation, aiding in policy-making and strategic planning. Space Industry: Benefits from improved space traffic management and debris monitoring, crucial for ongoing and future space missions. Global Community: Enhanced capabilities in monitoring and managing earth’s resources and space environment contribute to broader climate and safety initiatives. Bengaluru based startup Pixxel which is backed by Google, launched three Firefly satellites marking the company’s first step toward building a private constellation of hyperspectral imaging satellites. This technology can observe Earth in over 150 spectral bands. Digantara’s SCOT satellite Digantara Aerospace, headquartered in Bengaluru unveiled its Space Camera for Object Tracking (SCOT), the world’s first commercial satellite to monitor space objects and debris. SCOT’s mission is to address the growing challenge of space congestion and debris that threaten spacecraft’s safety as Earth’s orbit becomes increasingly crowded. The satellite can track objects as small as 5 cm in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) which is often not possible due to weather, geography and limited fields of view. Lt. Gen. A.K. Bhatt, Director General of the Indian Space Association (ISpA) also highlighted the hyperspectral imaging potential utility in the defence sector and SCOT’s role in mitigating the debris risk, making way for safer space missions. Concerns regarding private organisations in the space sector As per earlier reports from Medianama, the growing involvement of private players in space exploration raises significant questions about their loyalties and the need for stricter regulatory frameworks. Apart from Pixxel and Digantara big companies like SpaceX, Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic have also joined the space race in last one year. The big question is who do they really support? This became clear when SpaceX made decisions during the Russia-Ukraine conflict. In 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine, SpaceX gave Ukraine free internet through Starlink. But according to a letter from US senators, Elon Musk, SpaceX’s owner might have stopped the Ukrainian military from using Starlink in southern Ukraine after talking with Russian officials. This action could have blocked a Ukrainian attack on Russian forces in Crimea. Advertisements This shows we might need new laws to balance keeping countries safe, meeting humanitarian needs, and letting private space companies do their work. Space junk is another area to look at as per above mentioned report. Orbit Now says there are 11,552 objects in space as of writing this story. Space junk is made up of old satellites, bits of debris and paint flakes from spacecraft. According to the European Space Agency, there are approximately 29,000 pieces of space debris larger than 10 cm, 670,000 pieces larger than 1 cm, and more than 170 million pieces larger than 1 mm orbiting Earth. These pieces can crash into working satellites or the ISS causing problems like the “Kessler Syndrome” where more junk creates even more debris. Also Read: