File photo: Image of Krishna River Delta captured by Pixxel’s satellites
At a time when it is being drawn into the war in West Asia and amid the energy crisis, Saudi Arabia has taken the help of an Indian space start-up for providing it satellite images.
Bengaluru-based, Google-backed Pixxel, whose Firefly constellation of 18 satellites provide hyperspectral images, will supply special satellite data to Saudi Arabia’s national platform, UP42. Instead of buying data separately, Saudi agencies can now log onto this platform and get Pixxel’s imagery.
“The integration of hyperspectral capabilities into NSG UP42 strengthens Saudi Arabia’s geospatial infrastructure by providing government entities, regulators, and enterprises with deeper environmental and surface intelligence through a unified, sovereign platform,” says a press release from Pixxel.
Pixxel’s satellites do not take optical images—photos—of Earth; they take spectral images, in over 135 spectral bands. In simpler terms, this means that the images can be processed to get a very clear picture of the ground below. Electromagnetic waves (such as infra red, visible light, ultra violet, X-rays, gamma rays) hit the ground, but each feature on the ground reflects the waves differently, depending on its own nature. For example, soil’s reflection would be different from a plant’s, which would be different from another plant’s or a tree’s. Each feature has its own “signature” — so one can divine what exactly lies in the area pictured.
Pixxel says that Saudi Arabia will use the hyperspectral data provided by it to support applications, such as mineral detection and resource exploration, mine site closure and rehabilitation monitoring, illegal mining detection and environmental compliance and sustainability reporting enabling science-based regulatory oversight.
The release is silent on the possible military applications of Pixxel’s satellite imagery, but hyperspectral imaging is inherently capable of dual use. It can be used for surveillance, camouflage detection and battle damage assessment.
Pixxel is among the best-funded Indian space startups, having raised $95 million from investors such as Google, Radical Ventures, Lightspeed, Glade Brook Capital Partners and M&G Catalyst.
Published on March 17, 2026
