BENGALURU: When Bengaluru-based space startup GalaxEye placed its first commercial satellite, Drishti, in orbit aboard SpaceX’s Falcon-9 rocket Sunday, it marked more than just another launch for India’s private space sector. Drishti, being pegged India’s largest privately developed Earth observation satellite, and the world’s first OptoSAR satellite, also added a rare new capability to the country’s Earth observation fleet: a satellite that can “see” through clouds, darkness and bad weather while also capturing conventional optical imagery. GalaxEye co-founder and CEO Suyash Singh told TOI: “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 on date.”Drishti is the first globally to carry a “SyncFused OptoSAR” payload, combining electro-optical imaging and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) on a single platform. Optical satellites provide conventional high-resolution images but are affected by cloud cover and darkness. Radar satellites, on the other hand, can operate day and night and penetrate clouds, smoke and rain, though their imagery is harder to interpret.By synchronising and combining both streams of data, GalaxEye says the satellite can generate more consistent and usable imagery for users on the ground.The spacecraft is expected to support applications ranging from border surveillance and defence monitoring to disaster response, agriculture, infrastructure planning and insurance assessment. During floods, cyclones or landslides, for instance, radar imaging can continue functioning even when cloud cover prevents optical satellites from capturing images.“This marks a pivotal shift in India’s approach to Earth observation. It serves as a 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,” Lt Gen (retd) AK Bhatt, director-general, Indian Space Association (ISpA), said.AI Processing & 1st ImagesAnother key feature onboard is artificial intelligence processing powered by Nvidia’s Jetson Orin computing platform. Instead of transmitting vast quantities of raw imagery back to Earth for analysis, parts of the processing will happen directly in orbit. The idea is to reduce the time taken to convert satellite imagery into actionable information.GalaxEye says the satellite can deliver imagery at a resolution of 1.5 metres and revisit locations globally every seven to ten days. The spacecraft, roughly the size of a compact refrigerator, also carries a deployable antenna spanning about three-and-a-half metres.Following its successful deployment and commissioning, initial imagery is expected to be delivered to customers in the coming weeks. “The satellite has already generated significant interest from government and commercial stakeholders internationally, seeking access to high-quality, high-frequency Earth observation data,” GalaxEye said post launch.Following Drishti’s launch, the startup plans to build a larger constellation of 8-12 satellites over the next four years, with future versions targeting even sharper imagery.India’s space regulator Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Center (IN-SPACe) chairman Pawan Goenka said: “Sustained effort over the last five-six years on confidence-building, capacity-building, and the commercialisation 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.”
