Spectral Revolution, with Awais Ahmed (CEO of Pixxel)

This week on Pathfinder, we’re joined by Awais Ahmed, founder and CEO of Pixxel, a company focused on developing hyperspectral imaging technology from space. Pixxel is developing the world’s first commercial hyperspectral satellite constellation, aiming to provide detailed insights into critical industries like agriculture, energy, and defense.

With the recent launch of three Firefly satellites—the first in Pixxel’s commercial fleet—this episode explores the company’s progress and vision for the future of Earth observation. We also discuss:

• Pixxel’s founding story and Awais’ background in satellite engineering and Hyperloop competitions
• The fundamentals of hyperspectral imaging and its advantages over traditional imaging methods
• Pixxel’s satellite constellation plans and how they’re balancing commercial and government markets
• The role of AI in satellite imaging and its potential to unlock new applications
• Awais’ take on the evolving Earth observation market and the challenges of scaling a space startup

And more…

• Chapters •

00:00 - Intro

00:48 - Impact of the new administration

02:32 - The story behind Pixxel

07:37 - Hyperspectral imaging

11:14 - How hyperspectral fits into the other types of satellite imaging

15:01 - How big is the satellite imaging market today?

17:30 - Government uses and advancements in hyperspectral

21:30 - Established commercial vs growing government markets

25:23 - What does Pixxel's constellation look like?

27:22 - Firefly vs Honeybee

28:03 - Customer experience at Pixxel

29:46 - AI's impact

33:44 - Most valuable part of the EO stack

36:05 - Starlink architecture and other EO businesses

37:49 - Pixxel's commercial traction

39:27 - What's a good margin profile?

42:01 - Valuation of public EO businesses

45:19 - Raising private capital in EO and fundraising plans

48:37 - Pixxel in 2035

50:22 - What else excites Awais besides EO?

51:29 - Pixxel's US office
 

• Show notes •

Pixxel’s website — https://www.pixxel.space/

Pixxel’s socials — https://x.com/PixxelSpace

Awais’ socials — https://x.com/awaisahmedna

Mo's socials — https://twitter.com/itsmoislam

Payload’s socials — https://twitter.com/payloadspace / https://www.linkedin.com/company/payloadspace

Pathfinder archive — Watch: https://www.youtube.com/@payloadspace

Pathfinder archive — Listen: https://pod.payloadspace.com/episodes
 

• About us •

Pathfinder is brought to you by Payload, a modern space media brand built from the ground up for a new age of space exploration and commercialization. We deliver need-to-know news and insights daily to 19,000+ commercial, civil, and military space leaders. Payload is read by decision-makers at every leading new space company, along with c-suite leaders at all of the aerospace & defense primes. We’re also read on Capitol Hill, in the Pentagon, and at space agencies around the world.

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