#update #space Space-tech startup @GalaxEye is set to launch its first satellite, “Drishti”, in the first quarter of 2026. The 160-kg satellite, described as the country’s largest privately built commercial spacecraft, will lift off aboard a SpaceX mission. 1/n
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The satellite will feature GalaxEye’s proprietary “SyncFused OptoSAR” imaging technology, which fuses optical and SAR data synchronously on a single platform—claimed to be the first of its kind globally. 2/n
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“This is the right time to go to space,” co-founder and CEO Suyash Singh told me, confirming that the company has secured a launch slot. 3/n
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The satellite will enable customers to perform advanced geospatial analysis across a wide range of applications, including border surveillance, disaster management, defence,... 4/n
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...utilities and infrastructure monitoring, agriculture as well as financial and insurance assessment - providing real-time environmental and structural insights. 5/n
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Drishti, roughly 1 cubic metre in size with a deployable three-and-a-half-metre antenna, will deliver imagery at a 1.5-metre resolution and offer a global revisit time of seven to ten days. 6/n
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Singh said this resolution level, achieved through multi-sensor fusion, “is going to unlock a lot of new use cases” across sectors. 7/n
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With GalaxEye having already conducted extensive testing through about 500 aerial flights using drones, Cessna aircraft, and high-altitude platforms, as well as a prior payload launch on Isro’s #POEM, the upcoming mission is a fully commercial satellite. 8/n
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Singh said interest in GalaxEye’s data product spans both defence and civilian users. 9/n
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He confirmed that discussions are ongoing with various Indian govt ministries—including defence and agriculture, among others—and that defence agencies such as the DSA, Indian Air Force, Army, and Navy are closely tracking the project. 10/n
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“They see this as an add-on to some of the assets they already have today,” he said. 11/n
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Abroad, the startup has signed letters of intent with channel partners in more than 20 countries, including Japan, South Korea, the US, Eastern Africa, and the Middle East. These partners will distribute data to their customers once the satellite becomes operational. 12/n
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After the first launch, GalaxEye plans to expand its constellation to 8–12 satellites over the next four years, gradually improving spatial resolution to 0.5 metres in later generations. 13/n
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“We’re taking time to get the data right before scaling up. The goal is not just to launch satellites, but to deliver meaningful data products that add value,” Singh said. 14/n
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The structural model of the satellite underwent a round of testing at Isro’s UR Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) recently, which was a critical step as the firm moves closer to launch. 15/n
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“With the recent geopolitical events increasing, next generation imaging technologies with AI infusion, we look forward to providing unparalleled imagery intelligence... 16/n
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...We already have interest from defence and security agencies, utilities, agriculture, and financial companies and we are truly excited about the potential of this technology to transform decision-making and operational efficiency across industries,” he added. n/n
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