Archive · 1 Oct 2026
SatLeo to Launch TAPAS-1 Thermal Camera on SpaceX Falcon 9
SatLeo Labs is a space company from Ahmedabad, India.
It built a small thermal camera called TAPAS-1.
The camera is planned to travel into space on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
It will measure heat from Earth’s surface, including places that ordinary satellite cameras cannot see.
This information could help farmers, cities and companies understand heat and water problems.
It may also help detect forest fires and monitor industrial areas.
SatLeo plans to keep the payload in orbit for about three years.
The company wants to launch eight more similar satellites by 2029.
Ahmedabad-based SatLeo Labs plans to launch its TAPAS-1 thermal infrared payload aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 on October 1, 2026.
The approximately 3-kilogram payload will operate about 500 kilometers above Earth and map surface heat and temperature variations.
SatLeo says the data could support agriculture, water-stress monitoring, urban planning, industry, infrastructure, defence and forest-fire detection.
Founded in 2023, SatLeo has raised about ₹60 crore and received Letters of Intent worth approximately $52 million.
The company plans to launch eight additional TAPAS satellites by 2029 and build a commercial thermal-imaging constellation.
- Who
- SatLeo Labs, founded by Shravan Singh Bhati, Dr Ranendu Ghosh and Urmil Bakhai.
- What
- The company plans to launch its TAPAS-1 thermal infrared Earth-observation payload on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
- When
- The launch is planned for October 1, 2026; the articles were published on September 30, 2026.
- Where
- TAPAS-1 was developed at SatLeo’s laboratory in Gujarat and is planned for deployment at about 500 kilometers altitude.
- Why
- SatLeo aims to provide commercial thermal-imaging data for agriculture, water-stress monitoring, urban heat management, industrial monitoring, defence and forest-fire detection.
- Payload
- TAPAS-1 thermal infrared Earth-observation payload
- Payload mass
- Approximately 3 kilograms
- Planned orbit
- Around 500 kilometers above Earth
- Expected orbital life
- Approximately three years
- Letters of Intent
- About $52 million, with roughly 60% from companies outside India
- Funding raised
- Approximately ₹60 crore
- Expansion plan
- Eight additional TAPAS satellites planned by 2029
- Policy context
- Gujarat Spacetech Policy 2025-30 offers launch-cost assistance, intellectual-property support and testing-facility subsidies
