Launch · Climate, Energy & Sustainability

SatLeo Labs to launch thermal payload on Falcon 9

By Startup Enthusiast · 30 September 2026

What they do

SatLeo Labs is an Ahmedabad spacetech startup building satellites that read heat from Earth's surface

Its first commercial thermal payload, TAPAS-1, flies on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare mission on 1 October

The data can serve farming, city heat mapping, climate tracking, disaster response and infrastructure checks

SatLeo Labs sells thermal images of the Earth taken from small satellites, with AI-based analysis on top.
Its buyers are farms, defence users, energy firms, city planners and disaster agencies who need to see heat from above.
It earns by supplying heat data and forecasts to customers, delivered through software links (APIs) for real-time use.
What sets it apart is mid- and long-wave infrared sensing with processing done on the satellite itself.
Early interest is strong: letters of intent worth about $52 million from seven to eight customers in India and abroad (2026).
It is based in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, and plans a fleet of 10 to 15 satellites by 2029.

Customers: Governments and enterprises needing thermal intelligence and satellite data
How it makes money: Provides satellite-based thermal intelligence and AI-powered analytics as a platform and data service
What sets it apart: Combines thermal and visible imaging from low Earth orbit into a multispectral platform