Pixxel, Sarvam Plan India’s First Orbital Data Center Satellite
Pathfinder will test whether hyperspectral imagery and AI workloads can be processed directly in space using onboard GPUs and India-built language models.
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Bengaluru-based space technology startup Pixxel and Indian artificial intelligence company Sarvam said on Monday they are developing Pathfinder, a satellite designed to process AI workloads in orbit, in what they described as India’s first orbital data center mission.
The 200 kg-class spacecraft is scheduled to reach orbit as early as the fourth quarter of 2026. Pixxel will design, build, launch and operate the satellite, while Sarvam will provide the onboard AI systems, including language models for training and inference in orbit.
Pathfinder will also carry Pixxel’s hyperspectral imaging camera, allowing imagery to be analyzed onboard instead of being sent entirely to ground stations for processing.
The companies said the mission will test real-time AI inference and data processing in space under operational constraints, including power management, thermal limits and onboard compute performance.
“Ground-based data centers are facing increasing constraints around energy, land, regulation, and scale, and the current model is becoming harder to sustain environmentally,” said Awais Ahmed, CEO of Pixxel. “Orbital data centers open up a new frontier, where compute can be powered by abundant solar energy, operate closer to space-based data, and move beyond some of the limits faced on Earth.”
Sarvam said its India-developed models and inference platform will run directly on the satellite’s GPU compute layer, without relying on foreign cloud or ground infrastructure.
“AI infrastructure is not just a software question, it is a sovereignty question,” said Pratyush Kumar, CEO of Sarvam.
Pathfinder will be developed at Gigapixxel, Pixxel’s Bengaluru manufacturing facility, which the company says is designed to scale satellite production to as many as 100 units.
