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Bengaluru-based space startup GalaxEye successfully launched Mission Drishti, placing India’s largest privately developed Earth observation satellite into orbit aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg, California.
Weighing 190 kilograms, Mission Drishti is the world’s first OptoSAR satellite, combining Electro-Optical (EO) and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) sensors on a single platform. This global first enables all-weather, day-and-night imaging — a major breakthrough since optical imagery is harder to interpret during clouds or darkness.
“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,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on social media.
The satellite integrates optical, multi-spectral, and radar imaging with onboard AI. By synchronizing both data streams, GalaxEye says it can generate more consistent and usable imagery for users on the ground.
Mission Drishti supports dual-use applications including border surveillance, defence monitoring, disaster response, agriculture, infrastructure planning, maritime monitoring, and insurance assessment. During floods, cyclones, or landslides, radar imaging continues functioning even when cloud cover blocks optical satellites.
“This marks our first mission and the culmination of over five years of sustained R&D,” said Suyash Singh, founder and CEO of GalaxEye, founded by five IIT Madras engineers. The company plans to deploy a constellation of 10 satellites by 2030.
The satellite is expected to send its first observation data in a few weeks. Lt. Gen. AK Bhatt (retd.), director general of the Indian Space Association, called it a “new benchmark for India’s private space sector” and “definitive proof-of-concept” for private space reforms.
This launch signals India’s transition from small-scale testing to sovereign, all-weather surveillance capabilities critical for national security and disaster response.
