SOURCE: AFI
Azista BST Aerospace Pvt. Ltd. (ABA), a pioneering Indo-German joint venture between Azista Industries Pvt. Ltd. and Berlin Space Technologies GmbH, has achieved a significant milestone in satellite technology. On April 16, 2025, the company announced a groundbreaking feat: its ABA First Runner (AFR) satellite, operating in a sun-synchronous orbit at approximately 7 km/s, successfully captured video footage of an aircraft taking off from Kuwait Airport. This achievement underscores the convergence of aviation and advanced imaging technology, challenging conventional limits of satellite capabilities.
The AFR satellite, launched in June 2023 aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 Transporter-8 mission, is an 80 kg remote sensing satellite built on a modular bus platform. Designed as a technology demonstrator, it features a wide-swath optical payload with panchromatic and multispectral imaging capabilities, delivering resolutions of 1.5 meters (panchromatic) and 5 meters (multispectral) from an altitude of approximately 500 km. Its ability to record video from such a high-speed orbit—traveling at 7 km/s (about 25,200 km/h)—marks a leap forward in Earth observation technology.
The video captured over Kuwait Airport showcases the AFR’s potential to monitor dynamic events in real time, a capability traditionally reserved for lower-orbiting or geostationary satellites. Sun-synchronous orbits, which maintain consistent lighting conditions by passing over the same part of Earth at the same local solar time, are typically optimized for still imagery. ABA’s success in adapting this orbit for video capture highlights innovative engineering and payload design, blending German precision with Indian manufacturing prowess.
ABA’s achievement is the result of a strategic partnership between Azista Industries, based in Hyderabad, India, and Berlin Space Technologies GmbH, leveraging over 75 combined satellite missions of experience. The company operates Asia’s largest private satellite manufacturing facility in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, spanning 50,000 square feet with an annual production capacity of up to 100 microsatellites. This vertically integrated setup enables rapid design, development, and testing, reducing production time by 250x and costs by 40x compared to traditional methods.
The AFR satellite’s video capability relies on its high-resolution imaging payload, enhanced by robust telemetry, tracking, and control (TT&C) systems, including S-Band antennas provided by Anywaves. The satellite’s modular design allows for future upgrades, positioning ABA to lead the global market in mass-producing small satellites for constellations. Managing Director Srinivas Reddy Male emphasized the significance of this milestone, stating, “Who says a satellite in sun-synchronous orbit travelling at ~7 km/s cannot capture videos? Our AFR satellite has successfully recorded a remarkable moment over Kuwait Airport, demonstrating the convergence of aviation and advanced imaging technology.”
The ability to capture video from a sun-synchronous orbit opens new avenues for civilian and defense applications. For aviation, it offers real-time monitoring of airport operations, enhancing safety and traffic management. In defense, it could provide critical intelligence on moving targets, while civilian uses include disaster response, maritime surveillance, and environmental monitoring. The footage from Kuwait Airport—capturing an aircraft’s takeoff—demonstrates the satellite’s potential to track high-speed objects, a feature that could revolutionize sectors reliant on dynamic data.
This breakthrough aligns with India’s “Atmanirbhar Bharat” and “Make in India” initiatives, showcasing the growing capabilities of the private space sector. ABA’s plans to launch 3-4 additional missions over the next two years will further validate its technology, with potential customers in Southeast Asia and beyond already expressing interest in the data and analytics derived from AFR.
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