Firefly Mission (NDA)
Firefly Mission (NDA)
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A six-satellite constellation engineered at Pixxel Space to deliver global coverage every 24 hours, with Hyper-spectral Data.
Roles: Structural & Mechanisms Engineer.
Technologies Used: CAD, Analysis, Microcontroller, Prototyping, GD&T, Python & Vibration Testing.
Timeline: Feb 2022 - June 2024.
Timeline: Feb 2022 - June 2024.
Image from Pixxel Space & SpaceX
SpaceX Falcon 9 with Fireflies in space!
Guides: Tejaswi Hareesh (Vice President of Mechanical Engineering at Pixxel Space), Hari Prasad (Systems Engineer for the Firefly Mission) & Chiranjeevi R (Structural Engineering Lead).
Design Requirements
Design Requirements
Optics Requirements
Size the telescope to achieve 5m ground sampling at ~550–600 km SSO.
Baseline VNIR 470–900 nm with 135–150+ contiguous bands.
Structures Requirements:
Natural Frequency to reduce coupled load risks.
Stay within mass/CoG envelopes margins.
Qualify to environments defined in Falcon/rideshare user guides.
Use compliant materials as per Launch Vehicle rules, and control outgassing for optics.
Image (C) Pixxel Space
"Space is the most affordable way on Earth to collect high-resolution data, everyday."
Design Cycles: Best Part of the Journey
⚠️ Six months before launch, we faced a tough reality—SpaceX required a primary structural frequency above 40 Hz. After design changes, ours had dropped to just 20 Hz.
🤼♂️ For two months, two teammates and I in the structural engineering team lived in the office, rebuilding components and chasing every hertz. Late nights, countless iterations, and creative hacks defined our engineering marathon.
〰 Little changed as we went on to reduce the mass and increase the stiffness of every single component on the satellite.
🎉 The breakthrough came when we redesigned the adapter between the satellite 🛰️ and the separation system on the rocket casing 🚀, boosting our frequency to 84.61 Hz, over 4x the original. We didn’t just meet SpaceX’s target—we made the satellite stronger.
As a Structural & Mechanisms Engineer
Designed and integrated mechanical systems for 10+ components across 6 Hyperspectral Satellites, meeting SpaceX launch load requirements through cross-subsystem collaboration.
Performed FEM analyses to ensure vibration load compliance with 3x stiffness enhancement; correlated vibration test results with a 2% deviation.
Improved production efficiency by 25% for Pixxel's Firefly satellite via Mechanical Drawings, QA/QC standards, and team management.
Achieved 94% quality compliance for 300+ line items across 6 satellites; boosted production efficiency by 30% through partnerships with 10+ manufacturers specializing in CNC, Additive Manufacturing, and coatings.
"Wore multiple hats everyday across engineering teams to supply chain"
Image from SpaceX Launch Stream
SpaceX Falcon 9 deploying Fireflies into space!
Publications
S. Bhurat, “MEMS-Based Solar Panel Deployment for a Spacecraft,” in 74th International Astronautical Congress (IAC), IAF Space Power Symposium (C3), Advanced Space Power Technologies (3), Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 2–6, 2023, Paper ID: 76359.
O. K. Daxini, S. Bhurat, D. S. Hegde, K. P. S. Gouda, V. Sharma, G. H. Chandrika, and A. Anand, “Reusability of Re-entry Capsules Using Shape Memory Alloys,” in 74th International Astronautical Congress (IAC), IAF Materials and Structures Symposium (C2), Smart Materials and Adaptive Structures (9), Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 2–6, 2023, Paper ID: 77620.
S. Das, S. Bhurat, R. S. Kulkarni, and C. S. Shivaru, “Nuclear Powered Air-Breathing Electric Thrusters Propulsion System for Space Exploration Vehicles,” in 73rd International Astronautical Congress (IAC), IAC-22, C4, 9, 5x69169, Paris, France, Sept. 18–22, 2022, Paper ID: 69169
Reflection
Working on a satellite constellation was a transformative experience. I joined the team as the 20th member, and by the end, we had grown to over 300 people. I witnessed the startup journey from the seed stage to Series C.
No one on the team knew how to build one when we started three years ago. By the end, everyone had learned how to build one, and we made history by creating 'India's First Private Satellite Constellation.'
Fireflies will always be in my heart ❤️, as we built it to serve as a health monitor for planet Earth.
Currently, they are in space, beaming climate data 🌎 every day, which makes me immensely happy.
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