Awais Ahmed

Since the 1950s, satellites have monitored weather patterns, crops, and geopolitical rivals by capturing light waves as they reflect off Earth’s surface. But satellite imagery is inconsistent and blurry—impaired by cloud coverage, light conditions, and distance—and most satellites in space today capture only light in the visible spectrum and perhaps a few wavelengths in the infrared spectrum. 

In 2021, Awais Ahmed’s company Pixxel launched the first demo hyperspectral satellite, able to capture orbital images in more than 150 wavelengths from the visible and infrared spectrum, into orbit for commercial and public use. Different molecules reflect light in different wavelengths called spectral signatures, and by capturing a more comprehensive set of wavelengths, says Ahmed, 25, Pixxel’s satellites can provide up to 10 times as much information about Earth’s surface as current satellites. We can learn about the internal health of crops, for example, or collect molecular information about snow caps that might reveal key insights about climate change. 

Pixxel launched two more hyperspectral satellites in 2022, and the company is working on using hyperspectral data to build “a health monitoring system for the planet.” Pixxel’s current clientele includes players in agriculture and mining that use the hyperspectral data to track changes in soil and biodiversity. Ahmed plans to open-source some of Pixxel’s data and provide access to select climate research labs free of cost.