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ANAND is imagery to provide insights. Source: Pixxel on earth in dozens of spectral
Pixxel’s first With an almost unanimous re- bands rather than the usual
technology sponse that there was indeed a “The hyperspectral imaging that we 4 – 12 band optical imagery that
demonstra- lack of information-rich space have built at Pixxel will be accurate, is available currently at a high
tor mission imagery, and that they would precise and in real-time, giving the resolution. Once the data has
and flies be willing to pay for the data, advantage of targeted monitoring, been beamed down, our plat-
up with a we realized that there was localized problem detection, and form and on-ground tools allow
visible and an emerging market for the hyper optimized solutions in every our customers to access and
near-infra- new kind of satellite imagery,” sector globally.” analyze this satellite imagery
red hyper- Khandelwal reveals. where they can extract insights
spectral This was the idea behind Kshitij Khandelwal for applications in sectors like
camera. The founding Pixxel, the journey Co-Founder & CTO Agriculture, Environment Con-
idea behind of which commenced in early Pixxel servation, Energy, Forestry, and
the mission 2018, with the aim to build a Pollution Monitoring and tack-
is to validate constellation of microsatellites ment processes to the otherwise le problems like crop disease
the startup’s that would do hyperspectral slow-moving traditional Space identification and forest health
satellite imaging. “The idea is to mon- industry. “We are nearly 50 peo- and biodiversity monitoring at
and camera itor any place on the planet ple now who come from differ- scale,” he explains.
technology every day and provide imag- ent backgrounds and many of
and get sam- ery and the tools to work with them are from top schools like Understanding
ple image that imagery that would enable the IITs, IIST, and BITS as well Hyperspectral
data that organizations across the world as a few people who have Imaging (HSI)
it can use to detect, monitor, and predict worked in organizations like The fundamental principle be-
to validate global phenomena in real-time,” ISRO, Team Indus, and others hind hyperspectral imaging is
different use he explains. before,” adds Khandelwal. that of imaging spectroscopy,
cases for hy- “We’ve had different motiva- says Khandelwal, helping us
perspectral tions towards building Pixxel Tackling issues with gain insight into the technolo-
imagery. but the common theme here is technology gy. “When we use a phone cam-
love for space and space tech- Since Pixxel is a space data com- era that images in red-green-
nology. For me, it was the sheer pany, there are two important blue (RGB) wavelengths, the
thrill of working on some of the aspects to what it does: building bands that we capture are wide
most challenging engineering the right kind of infrastructure bands, and it is difficult to iden-
problems that no one else was in space and on the ground by tify information beyond what is
working on and being able to deploying its satellite constel- visually understandable. With
send technology to space. For lation and building tools for hyperspectral imaging, we cap-
Awais, visiting the SpaceX fac- people to seamlessly work with ture light in multiple narrow
tory in LA was a defining mo- the satellite data. “We are cur- wavelengths which allows us
ment where he realized that rently aiming at deploying a to dabble into the chemistry of
he wants to do something for microsatellite constellation of the image that we’re capturing.
the Space industry. Either way, satellites sized around as much So instead of telling you wheth-
we wanted to build something as a mini-refrigerator with hy- er a piece of the farm is green or
of the likes of SpaceX, Air- perspectral cameras that allow not, we can identify what type
bus, Boeing because nothing you to identify phenomena of crop grows there, the chloro-
like that existed here in India. phyll content in the leaves, the
Building an earth observation moisture in the soil, the stage
constellation is a means to that of growth, and a whole host of
end,” he says sharing the found- other insights,” he adds.
ers’ motivation behind their in- Hyperspectral imaging from
novative endeavor. space has the power to help
The team has a good mix of with pressing issues that are
people equipped with thor- invisible to today's satellites.
ough knowledge of the indus- When the team started out it
try along with talented young would analyze satellite imag-
engineers excited about solving ery from existing sources to
problems and bringing in agile find solutions to these prob-
hardware-software develop- lems, primarily pest infestation
44 | May-June 2021 Modern Manufacturing India
