Pixxel Launches Three More Fireflies with SpaceX, Paving the Way for Planetary-Scale Hyperspectral Imaging

Los Angeles, California, USA, August 26 2025, Bengaluru, India, August 27, 2025: Pixxel, the world’s leading hyperspectral satellite imaging company, has launched three Firefly satellites aboard SpaceX’s NAOS Mission on Falcon 9. Building on the successful deployment of its first three Fireflies in January, Pixxel’s commercial constellation now stands at six operational satellites, giving humanity its first daily, high-detail hyperspectral look at any place on Earth. 

Operating as a constellation, the Fireflies collectively form the most advanced commercial hyperspectral imaging system ever deployed. Each satellite can capture 135+ spectral bands at a 5-meter resolution across a 40-kilometre swath, enabling scientists, businesses, and governments to detect changes in Earth’s ecosystems with unmatched accuracy. From identifying vegetation stress weeks before it’s visible, to pinpointing sources of water contamination or mapping mineral resources, Fireflies unlock a spectrum of insights hidden from conventional observation systems.

Awais Ahmed, Founder and CEO of Pixxel, said: “Our earlier launches showed what was possible; this one shows what’s next. Expanding to six Fireflies will transform hyperspectral imaging from isolated snapshots into a continuous planetary memory. With six Fireflies in orbit, the planet itself becomes a living laboratory. What was once invisible is now measurable, and what is measurable can finally be changed. For a better world for all to come.”

This expansion lays the foundation for Pixxel’s next mission: the Honeybees. With their extended SWIR bands, the Honeybee satellites will work alongside the Fireflies to create a persistent, planet-wide health monitoring system designed for even broader spectrum ranges and faster revisit times. Together, they will power predictive climate analytics, sharper resource management, and real-time environmental intelligence.

“This expansion of our fleet of Fireflies proves that we can successfully build, deploy, operate, and scale up the world’s highest resolution hyperspectral satellite constellation to reach more customers at a higher revisit,” said Kshitij Khandelwal, Founder and CTO of Pixxel. “While there are multiple other satellites in the works, the upcoming Honeybees are special because they will take us further into the electro-magnetic spectrum, enhancing hyperspectral capabilities and increasing the number of use cases we can target.”

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With the first three Fireflies operating successfully in orbit for over eight months, Pixxel’s constellation has proven the value of hyperspectral data in real-world applications. With six satellites in place and its Aurora Earth Observation platform delivering this data directly into user workflows, Pixxel is moving Earth observation from a reactive tool to a predictive one. By combining its growing fleet with AI-powered analytics, Pixxel is helping industries anticipate change, governments act faster, and humanity make decisions with planetary foresight.