GalaxEye Launches India’s Largest Private Earth Observation Satellite
Mission Drishti combines optical and radar imaging on one platform, giving the Bengaluru startup an all-weather Earth observation capability.
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GalaxEye launched Mission Drishti on Sunday, 3 May, placing a 190-kg Earth observation satellite in orbit aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg, California.
The Bengaluru-based space-tech startup describes Drishti as the world’s first operational satellite to combine optical and synthetic aperture radar imaging on a single platform. It is also India’s largest privately built Earth observation satellite, according to the company.
GalaxEye said the satellite’s OptoSAR payload can provide day-and-night and all-weather imaging by combining optical data with radar imagery, helping capture Earth observation data in conditions where conventional optical systems face limits.
“Mission Drishti marks our first mission and the culmination of over five years of sustained R&D to develop this breakthrough technology,” Suyash Singh, founder and CEO of GalaxEye, said. “With the satellite now successfully in orbit, our immediate focus is on completing its commissioning.”
The company said it expects to deliver initial imagery to customers in the coming weeks after deployment and commissioning are completed, while adding that it is seeing interest from government and commercial users globally for high-frequency Earth observation datasets.
Pawan Goenka, chairman of the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre, said the mission reflects the progress made in building India’s private space technology ecosystem.
“Mission Drishti by GalaxEye is a fine example of this, the world’s first OptoSAR satellite from an Indian private player,” Goenka said, according to NDTV. “As more Indian space companies demonstrate their capabilities through real missions and engagement with global customers, confidence in India’s space ecosystem will continue to strengthen.”
Mission Drishti is designed as a dual-use Earth observation satellite, with applications across defense, agriculture, disaster management, maritime monitoring and infrastructure planning.
The launch adds to India’s expanding Earth observation capabilities, with GalaxEye positioning Drishti as the first step toward a broader OptoSAR satellite constellation.
