Bengaluru, October 13: Space-tech startup GalaxEye is set to launch its first and India’s largest privately built commercial satellite, Drishti, in the first quarter of 2026, marking a major milestone for the country’s private space sector. The 160-kg satellite will lift off aboard a SpaceX mission, the company confirmed.
Advanced imaging technology
Drishti will feature GalaxEye’s proprietary “SyncFused OptoSAR” imaging technology, which synchronously fuses optical and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data on a single platform. The company claims this technology is the first of its kind globally.
The satellite will enable customers to perform advanced geospatial analysis across sectors such as border surveillance, disaster management, defence, utilities and infrastructure monitoring, agriculture, financial and insurance assessment, delivering real-time environmental and structural insights.
“This is the right time to go to space,” said Suyash Singh, co-founder and CEO of GalaxEye, confirming that the company has secured a launch slot.
Satellite specifications
Drishti is roughly 1 cubic metre in size and will feature a deployable three-and-a-half-metre antenna. It is designed to deliver imagery at 1.5-metre resolution with a global revisit time of seven to ten days. Singh noted that this resolution level, achieved through multi-sensor fusion, is expected to unlock numerous new use cases across various sectors.
GalaxEye has conducted extensive testing using around 500 aerial flights with drones, Cessna aircraft, high-altitude platforms, and a prior payload launch on ISRO’s PSLV under the POEM mission. Singh added that discussions are ongoing with several government ministries, including defence and agriculture, to explore potential applications.