Spacetech startup GalaxEye launched its first OptoSAR satellite under its project ‘Mission Drishti’ yesterday, which it claimed was the world’s first such satellite.
The satellite integrates electro-optical (EO) and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensors into a single platform to enable all-weather, round the clock imaging capabilities. Weighing 190 kg, it is India’s largest privately developed earth observation satellite.
The satellite was launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from California and successfully separated over an hour after take-off, the startup said on X.
The satellite is a dual use earth observation satellite that integrates optical and radar data streams to surpass the limitations of conventional systems that only leverage either of the two to enable accurate and consistent data acquisition across diverse environmental conditions.
“With the satellite now successfully in orbit, our immediate focus is on completing its commissioning. As we move through this phase, we are already witnessing strong global interest in the differentiated datasets enabled by our OptoSAR payload,” GalaxEye cofounder and CEO Suyash Singh said.
This includes international government and commercial stakeholders interested in high-frequency earth observation data, the startup said.
Initial imagery from GalaxEye’s OptoSAR satellite will start being delivered to customers in the coming few weeks. Its use cases span sectors like defence, agriculture, disaster management, maritime monitoring, and infrastructure planning. Although, defence and security agencies are expected to contribute a majority of the early revenue, Singh told ET.
“Mission Drishti could mark an inflection point in the commercialisation of private space tech in India. Until now, much of the work was experimental and prototype-driven,” he said.
Prime Minister Nardenra Modi lauded the launch of the satellite, remarking on X that the mission is a major achievement in India’s space journey. “The successful launch of the world’s first OptoSAR satellite and the largest privately-built satellite in India is a testament to our youth’s passion for innovation and nation-building,” he said.
The GalaxEye satellite was under R&D for nearly five years, during which it underwent extensive environmental testing and performance benchmarking to ensure operational readiness, for which the startup received support from the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) which provided access to testing infrastructure, and relevant authorisations required for the launch.
“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, creating greater demand both in India and overseas,” IN-SPACe chairman Pawan Goenka said.
From Drone To Satellite Constellation
Founded in 2021 by IIT Madras alums Singh, Denil Chawda, Kishan Thakkar, Pranit Mehta, and Rakshit Bhatt, the deeptech startup has been working on building an indigenous OpSAR satellite, which it designs and manufactures in-house from its headquarters in Bengaluru. Its multi-sensor earth observation satellites are designed to provide high-resolution imaging and geospatial intelligence for a range of sectors.
GalaxEye began Mission Drishti’s journey by building the country’s first DroneSAR in 2022, which could rise to an altitude of 2 km and validated SAR technology. This was followed by the world’s first HAPS SAR, which crossed the upper atmosphere at an altitude of 20 km. Lastly, it achieved in-orbit validation when its payload was flown aboard ISRO’s POEM mission to an altitude of 500 km in 2024.
Through this journey, GalaxEye raised $20 Mn in funding from the likes of Infosys, ideaForge, Zerodha’s Rainmatter, Speciale Invest, among others. It bagged $4.8 Mn in its Series A funding round, Inc42 reported exclusively in March, from new and existing investors including Mounttech Growth Fund, Anicut Capital, Navam Venture Fund, and Faad Capital.
Mission Drishti is a constellation of at least 10 satellites that GalaxEye is planning to launch over the next two-and-a-half years, Singh told ET, adding that the total constellation size is yet to be decided.
The startup has also partnered with NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), the commercial arm of ISRO, to distribute its satellite imagery globally. GalaxEye’s constellation is a part of ISRO’s plans to launch 29 earth observation satellites that can provide advanced ISR (intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) capabilities to domestic and for international clients.
GalaxEye is one of the many Indian spacetech startups that are excelling in India’s nascent spacetech sector which was opened up to private players recently. Around 200 private space startups have since cropped up, working across satellites, launch vehicles, communications infrastructure and downstream data services.
As a result, funding in India’s spacetech sector surged 94% to $157 Mn in 2025 from $81 Mn in 2024.
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