Bengaluru-based space startup GalaxEye successfully launched its first commercial satellite, Drishti, into orbit aboard SpaceX's Falcon-9 rocket on Sunday. The company describes Drishti as the world's first OptoSAR satellite, marking a significant milestone in Earth observation technology and highlighting India's growing capabilities in the global space sector.
Weighing 190 kilograms, Mission Drishti is India's largest privately developed Earth observation satellite. It is the first satellite globally to integrate Electro-Optical (EO) and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) sensors into a single operational platform, enabling all-weather, day-and-night imaging capabilities.
Drishti can see through clouds, darkness, and adverse weather conditions while also capturing conventional optical imagery. It carries a SyncFused OptoSAR payload, which combines electro-optical imaging and synthetic aperture radar on a single platform. Optical satellites provide high-resolution images but are hindered by cloud cover and darkness. Radar satellites can operate day and night, penetrating clouds, smoke, and rain, though their imagery is more challenging to interpret. By synchronizing and combining both data streams, GalaxEye claims the satellite generates more consistent and usable imagery for ground users.
The spacecraft is expected to support applications ranging from border surveillance and defense monitoring to disaster response, agriculture, infrastructure planning, and insurance assessment. During floods, cyclones, or landslides, radar imaging can continue functioning even when cloud cover prevents optical satellites from capturing images.
Another key feature is artificial intelligence processing powered by Nvidia's Jetson Orin computing platform. Instead of transmitting vast quantities of raw imagery to Earth for analysis, parts of the processing occur directly in orbit. This approach reduces the time needed to convert satellite imagery into actionable information, according to GalaxEye co-founder and CEO Suyash Singh.
GalaxEye states that Drishti can deliver imagery at a resolution of 1.5 meters and revisit locations globally every seven to ten days. The satellite, roughly the size of a compact refrigerator, also carries a deployable antenna spanning about three-and-a-half meters.
The company previously tested its imaging systems through nearly 500 aerial sorties involving drones, Cessna aircraft, and high-altitude platforms, in addition to flying an earlier payload aboard an ISRO PSLV mission under the POEM platform.
Interest in the project has emerged from both defense and civilian agencies. The company has held discussions with multiple Indian government departments, including the defense and agriculture ministries, while agencies such as the Defence Space Agency, Indian Air Force, Army, and Navy have been tracking the program. GalaxEye has also signed distribution partnerships across more than 20 countries.
Following Drishti's launch, the startup plans to build a larger constellation of 8 to 12 satellites over the next four years, with future versions targeting even sharper imagery.
