Investment plan of $35 million for the launch of four earth imaging satellites by 2025

Bangalore-based spacetech start-up, SatSure, has laid out an investment plan of $35 million for the launch of four earth imaging satellites by 2025, a top company executive said.

Established in 2017 by former ISRO scientists Prateep Basu, Rashmit Singh Sukhmani, and spacetech entrepreneur Abhishek Raju, the six-year-old start-up offers high-resolution optical and multispectral data. This data serves various purposes, including risk management, crop insurance, agricultural applications, credit assessment and more.

Until recently, SatSure relied on third-party satellite imagery, sourced either from open data provided by space agencies or commercial data primarily from American and European companies. However, last year, the company took a strategic step by creating a subsidiary called KaleidEO for backward integration.

“KaleidEO was set up on July 5, 2022, and we plan to have a fleet of four high-resolution optical multispectral satellites equipped with edge-processing capabilities. In fact, we also became the first company in India to do edge processing in space on September 12, 2023,” said Prateep Basu, co-founder and CEO.

With regard to the progress on the project, Basu said they have developed the payload, which is now ready for aerial test in coming months.

Regarding the technology behind their satellite project, Arpan Kumar Sahoo, COO of KaleidEO, emphasised its industry-leading capabilities. “These satellites boast nearly 65 km of coverage with one-metre resolution and include onboard edge processing capabilities.”

The feature allows customisation of data sets to meet customer requirements, reducing the size of downlinked data. The objective is to maximise the value of information generated for each bit of data, he added.

While SatSure’s data sets are designed to be adaptable to various geographic regions, its immediate focus is on addressing national security and disaster management needs in India.

In terms of satellite development, the startup has formed partnerships with multiple organisations specialising in different aspects of hardware development, including Spiral Blue, Satellogic, SkyServe, Unibap AB (publ), and Ubotica Technologies.

The launch of these satellites, scheduled for November 2025, is in the process of finalising launch and data distribution partners in India.

To date, the company has secured $20 million in funding, with approximately half of the funds allocated to satellite fleet development and the rest earmarked for its geographical expansion, product development, and overall growth.