Pixxel launches Shakuntala (TD-2) via SpaceX; Infosys Q4 results on April 13; Atlassian Ventures to ramp up SaaS investments

Pixxel, a space-technology startup in Bengaluru, has launched its first commercial imaging satellite to space. The company launched its first full-fledged commercial satellite, named Shakuntala (Technology Demonstrator-2) onboard a SpaceX Falcon-9 rocket on April 1, according to a press release. Weighing less than 15 kg, Shakuntala (TD-2) is capable of capturing orbital images in more than 150 bands of colour from the visible and infrared spectrum with a resolution of 10-meters per pixel — far exceeding the specificity of 30-meter per pixel hyperspectral cameras on satellites from NASA, ESA, and ISRO, according to Pixxel’s release. This launch also comes on the heels of Pixxel’s $25 million Series A funding from Radical Ventures, Seraphim Space Capital, Relativity Space co-founder Jordan Noone, Lightspeed Partners, Blume Ventures, and Sparta LLC among others. More than 50 customers have also signed pre-launch agreements with Pixxel from sectors including agriculture, oil and gas, mining, and climate monitoring. Infosys, India’s second-biggest IT services company, will release its fiscal fourth-quarter results on April 13, for the year ended March 31, 2022 (FY22). The Bangalore headquartered company’s results are expected after markets in Mumbai, at around 4 p.m. IST, on the day. Expectations are high that Infosys will continue to accelerate its growth on the back of the strong demand for digital transformation projects as its customers around the world invest more in shifting workloads to the cloud, and embrace technology for a secure, hybrid workplace. In January, Infosys projected that it expects full-year revenues to increase by between 19.5 percent and 20 percent for FY22. Larger rival Accenture projected last month that it expects to grow revenues for its current fiscal year that ends on August 31, in the range of 24-26 percent, in local currency. Ather Energy, an electric scooter maker in Bangalore, sold 2,591 scooters in March, posting a 120 percent increase from the same period last year, according to the company’s monthly sales report. Ather is also expanding its sales network, having added four new showrooms, including in Guwahati, Vijayawada, Tirupathi, and the third one in Bangalore. The company has previously said that it is currently fulfilling only a fraction of its orders due to a component shortage. It has also recently tied up with contract manufacturer Foxconn, to help ramp up production of its Ather 450 series of scooters. Atlassian, which makes cloud software for collaboration, expects to expand its venture fund to support more SaaS startups that are looking to work with its products and platform, including in India, the Nasdaq-listed Australian company said in a press release last week. Atlassian has a global R&D centre in Bangalore with more than 1,000 engineers. Over the last 18 months, the company has committed $110 million to Atlassian Ventures, and invested in 30 startups, according to the release. Theme music courtesy Free Music & Sounds: https://soundcloud.com/freemusicandsounds