BENGALURU: Bengaluru-based space startup GalaxEye successfully deployed its first commercial satellite, Drishti, into orbit aboard a SpaceX Falcon-9 rocket on Sunday. This launch is significant for India’s private space industry, as Drishti is billed as the country’s largest privately developed Earth observation satellite and the world’s first OptoSAR satellite.
Drishti brings a new capability to India’s Earth observation fleet, enabling it to “see” through clouds, darkness, and challenging weather conditions while also capturing conventional optical imagery. GalaxEye co-founder and CEO Suyash Singh noted, “This will become only the 16th remote sensing satellite available to India, placing it among a small group of spacecraft. It also has capabilities considered useful for strategic and security applications, for which there are only a handful of satellites in orbit as of now.”
This satellite is the first globally to carry a “SyncFused OptoSAR” payload, which merges electro-optical imaging and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) on a single platform. While optical satellites provide high-resolution images, they are hindered by cloud cover and darkness. In contrast, radar satellites can operate under all weather conditions and at any time of day, but their images can be more complex to interpret.
By integrating both data streams, GalaxEye aims to produce more consistent and usable images for ground users. The satellite is expected to support a variety of applications, including border surveillance, defense monitoring, disaster response, agriculture, infrastructure planning, and insurance assessment. For example, during floods or landslides, radar imaging can continue to operate even when cloud cover obstructs optical imaging.
Lt Gen (retd) AK Bhatt, the director-general of the Indian Space Association (ISpA), stated, “This marks a pivotal shift in India’s approach to Earth observation. It serves as definitive proof-of-concept for India’s private space sector reforms and signals a transition from small-scale testing to sovereign, all-weather surveillance capabilities critical for national security and disaster response.”
Another notable feature of the satellite is its onboard artificial intelligence processing, powered by Nvidia’s Jetson Orin computing platform. This design allows for part of the processing to occur in orbit, reducing the time required to transform satellite imagery into actionable insights. GalaxEye claims the satellite can provide imagery at a resolution of 1.5 meters and can revisit global locations every seven to ten days. The spacecraft, comparable in size to a compact refrigerator, is equipped with a deployable antenna that spans approximately three and a half meters.
Initial imagery is anticipated to be delivered to customers in the coming weeks after successful deployment and commissioning. GalaxEye reported considerable interest from both governmental and commercial entities globally, eager for access to high-quality and high-frequency Earth observation data.
Following Drishti’s launch, GalaxEye plans to construct a larger constellation of 8-12 satellites within the next four years, anticipating even sharper imagery in future models. Pawan Goenka, chairman of the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Center (IN-SPACe), remarked, “Sustained effort over the last five to six years on confidence-building, capacity-building, and the commercialization of India’s private space technology ecosystem is now showing tangible results. Drishti is a fine example of this—the world’s first OptoSAR satellite from an Indian private player.”
