Karnataka's Awais Ahmed builds satellite startup Pixxel, wins NASA contract

Awais Ahmed, who grew up in Karnataka without internet access, founded space-tech startup Pixxel after developing a passion for space through books encouraged by his parents. He studied engineering at BITS Pilani, where he met his co-founder. Together, they built Pixxel with the goal of deploying a constellation of hyperspectral Earth-observation satellites. The startup has since secured a contract with NASA for Earth-observation data, marking a significant milestone for the young company.