Archive · 2 Oct 2026
Gujarat-Built Thermal Satellite Launches Aboard SpaceX Falcon 9
A small satellite payload made by Ahmedabad-based Satleo Labs was sent into space on a SpaceX rocket.
It is called TAPAS-1 and is designed to see heat patterns on Earth.
The payload is about the size and weight of a small CubeSat unit.
It will orbit about 500 kilometers above Earth.
Its pictures can show which places are hotter or cooler.
Farmers could use the information to plan crops and monitor water stress.
Cities could use it to understand and reduce heat problems.
The data may also help detect forest fires and study weather and climate.
Satleo says it plans to launch more satellites in the coming years.
Satleo Labs’ TAPAS-1 launched aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-18 rideshare mission from California.
The 1.5-kilogram payload was placed in a 500-kilometer-high low Earth orbit.
TAPAS-1 will capture high-resolution images showing heat and temperature variations on Earth.
Its data could support agriculture, urban heat planning, disaster monitoring, defence, and climate analysis.
Satleo plans eight more satellites by 2029 after securing Rs 60 crore in funding.
- Who
- Satleo Labs, an Ahmedabad-based space technology startup founded by Shravan Singh Bhati, Dr Ranendu Ghosh, and Urmil Bakhai.
- What
- Its TAPAS-1 thermal-imaging payload was launched into low Earth orbit aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-18 mission.
- When
- The launch took place minutes after midnight in India on Thursday, October 1.
- Where
- The Falcon 9 launched from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, and TAPAS-1 was placed in a 500-kilometer-high orbit.
- Why
- To collect thermal images that can support agriculture, urban planning, disaster monitoring, defence, and climate analysis.
- Payload
- TAPAS-1, a thermal infrared camera and CubeSat-category payload
- Developer
- Satleo Labs, founded in Ahmedabad in 2023
- Payload weight
- 1.5 kilograms
- Orbit
- Approximately 500 kilometers above Earth
- Planned operating period
- Three years
- Letters of Intent
- Approximately $52 million, with about 60% from companies outside India
- Expansion plans
- Eight more satellites by 2029, including TAPAS-2 and the proposed PYRO constellation