Pixxel retrieved its first hyperspectral satellite images from a camera launched last year with NanoAvionics and Dragonfly Aerospace. The photos capture the crop health of a Mexican farmland. Photo: Pixxel via Business Wire

Consulting and Technology company Accenture is making a strategic investment in hyperspectral satellite imagery startup Pixxel. Terms of the investment were not disclosed in Tuesday’s announcement. 

Pixxel is based in Bangalore, India, and has a presence in Los Angeles, and Accenture has a number of Advanced Technology Centers in India, including one in Bangalore. This investment is part of Accenture’s Project Spotlight, an investment program focused on emerging technology software startups, offering the companies access to Accenture’s expertise and its enterprise clients. 

Pixxel is building a hyperspectral satellite constellation geared toward climate use cases and launched its first satellite, Pixxel TD-2, in April 2022. Pixxel says its satellite offers one of the highest resolution hyperspectral commercial cameras ever flown, and can capture orbital images in more than 150 bands of color from the visible and infrared spectrum with a resolution of 10 meters per pixel, compared to 30-meter per pixel hyperspectral satellites launched by a organizations such NASA, ESA, and ISRO. 

“Our investment in Pixxel reflects our ongoing and active engagement with the promising startup ecosystem in India and more such engagements are key for creating solutions that drive real world impact,” said Mahesh Zurale, senior managing director and lead for Accenture’s Advanced Technology Centers. “With so many aspects of our daily lives being increasingly impacted by climate and sustainability issues, we believe Pixxel’s Earth Health Monitoring can play a crucial role by enabling global organizations to detect potentially damaging events early on and help prevent them.”

The company plans for its first commercial phase satellites to launch in early 2023.