Pixxel hopes to deliver satellites for Indian Air Force by mid-2025
The Indian Air Force (IAF) may launch satellites procured from space start-up Pixxel by mid-2025, giving a boost to its capabilities to keep vigil on the country's borders and beyond.
The IAF has signed a contract with the Bengaluru-headquartered Pixxel Space founded by young entrepreneurs Awais Ahmed and Kshitij Khandelwal of BITS Pilani, while they were pursuing higher studies.
"We should have that satellite up in space before the end of 2025, but likely we are aiming at mid-2025," Ahmed said in an interaction with PTI editors here.
He said the task of Pixxel was to manufacture the satellite and hand it over to the IAF, which will operate the spacecraft.
"In the case of the Indian Air Force for iDEX, we are not concerned with what the operations are. The operations will be mainly for looking at borders, looking at illegal testing, illegal growth and things like that. But we are not going to be operating the satellite," he said.
Innovations for Defence Excellence, an initiative o