New Delhi, Aug. 12 -- A consortium of four startups, led by Bengaluru-based Pixxel, has won a mandate to create and operate India's first privately-built satellite imaging system. Approved by the country's space regulator on Tuesday, the project worth $135 million ( Rs.1,200 crore) over five years, will see the birth of private Indian space firms that sell earth observation data at scale to commercial clients.

The move mimics an established American model of satellite operation, where firms such as Maxar Technologies sell high-resolution satellite images to any paying customer, for a fee. While Maxar's data ran into a controversy when reports highlighted its involvement in the planning of the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu & Kashmir on ...