Indian Startup’s Thermal Camera To Ride SpaceX’s ‘Falcon 9’

GANDHINAGAR – An Ahmedabad-based spacetech startup’s thermal infrared camera, designed to detect heat patterns on Earth that conventional satellite cameras cannot capture, is set to be launched aboard SpaceX’s ‘Falcon 9’ rocket from the United States on October 1.

Developed by Satleo, TAPAS-1 is described by the company as India’s first thermal infrared camera developed by a private company.

Weighing three kg, the payload will be deployed on a satellite in an orbit about 500 km above Earth. It will capture thermal infrared radiation from the surface and generate images showing variations in heat and temperature.

The data is expected to have applications in agriculture, urban heat management, water stress monitoring, industrial and disaster monitoring, forest-fire detection and climate-related studies.

“This data can be used to monitor forest fires. Besides, temperature variations across different areas of a city can be tracked in real time. Different areas of a city have different temperatures. This can help municipal corporations undertake the necessary planning to address heat stress,” Satleo CEO Shravan Singh said.

Satleo was founded in Ahmedabad in 2023 by Singh, Dr Ranendu Ghosh and Urmil Bakhai. Singh has more than 16 years of experience in satellite-related innovations, while Ghosh worked with ISRO for 27 years on satellite payload technologies related to agriculture, hydrology and soil science. Bakhai, the company’s Chief Strategy Officer, has more than 22 years of experience in corporate sales and leadership.

TAPAS-1 has been developed entirely at Satleo’s laboratory in Gujarat and is expected to remain in orbit for three years. The company has a team of more than 40 professionals and plans to launch eight more satellites of the same type by 2029.

Satleo has so far secured funding of Rs 60 crore. Following the commercial launch, the company plans to provide thermal imaging data to organizations across sectors. (IANS)