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SatLeo Labs is an Ahmedabad-based startup is deploying a constellation of thermal imaging satellites that can gather high-resolution temperature data, enabling a wide range of applications including more accurate estimation of yields from agricultural land, improving climate modelling, improving the accuracy of weather forecasts, detecting wildfires earlier, optimising heat management strategies for entire cities and uncover underground sites of archeological or mineralogical significance. SateLeo Labs plans to launch its TAPAS-1 technology demonstration mission in Q1 2026 that will validate the entire thermal imaging stack in orbit.
Shravan Bhati, the CEO and Co-founder of SatLeo Labs explained to us the history behind the company, "The story of SatLeo Labs began in 2019 when I was leading a high-stakes project in digital agriculture at my previous organization. The scope of the project was to develop an accurate crop yield estimation model using remote sensing data. We had put in a lot of effort collecting ground truth data and combining it with satellite datasets to build our model. But when we ran the initial yield predictions, the results were way off. After digging deeper, I realized the problem was with the temperature data. We were using interpolated readings from the available public data. While they’re fine for broad-scale analysis, they just didn’t have the accuracy we needed at a local level."
The team did not start with satellites to gather the data, but arrived at a microsatellite constellation as the most feasible solution considering the coverage and resolution of data required. Bhati explains, "I flagged the temperature data issue to Dr. Ranendu Ghosh, a former ISRO scientist, who was overseeing the project from the government side. We quickly realized that this wasn’t just an agricultural challenge. Accurate, high-resolution thermal data was essential across sectors — from defense to urban planning and climate monitoring. We evaluated multiple solutions, but only satellites could deliver the scale, precision, and consistency required. To take the idea forward, we brought in Urmil Bakhai, a seasoned business leader. He immediately saw its disruptive potential and joined us. What started as a project hurdle sparked a bold vision — a space-based thermal data system built to drive sustainable solutions across industries."
