Bengaluru’s deep-tech startup GalaxEye Space is rewriting India’s private space narrative. The company has entered the final stages of preparation to launch “Drishti,” a 160-kilogram multi-sensor imaging satellite that will become India’s largest privately built commercial satellite. The launch, scheduled for early 2026 through a SpaceX Falcon 9 mission, marks a bold leap for India’s rapidly maturing space-tech ecosystem.
Building India’s First Multi-Sensor Imaging Satellite
GalaxEye’s engineers began designing Drishti three years ago inside their modest lab in Bengaluru’s Koramangala district. The startup grew out of a team of former TeamIndus engineers, who once competed in the Google Lunar XPRIZE competition. Instead of fading away after that global contest, the group decided to harness their experience in satellite engineering and data analytics to build something new for Earth observation.
Their vision for Drishti stands apart from traditional imaging satellites. Most Earth observation satellites rely on either optical cameras or synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensors. GalaxEye decided to merge both. Its founders call the approach “multimodal sensing,” where multiple imaging instruments capture data from the same point on Earth simultaneously.
By blending visual imagery with radar signals, Drishti will produce richer, more reliable, and weather-independent images. Optical cameras can capture color and detail, while radar sensors penetrate clouds and darkness. When fused together through advanced onboard AI algorithms, these images create a comprehensive, always-available picture of the planet.
A Private Startup with Big-Mission Ambitions
In India, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has traditionally led satellite launches, with private firms playing supportive roles as component suppliers. GalaxEye is among the few startups changing that dynamic. It designs, assembles, and will operate the satellite independently.
The company’s founder and CEO, Suyash Singh, emphasizes execution over hype. “We built Drishti to demonstrate that Indian startups can match global standards in satellite engineering and data analytics. We want to show that a small team with deep technical roots can build world-class space infrastructure,” he said in a recent interview.
The startup employs about 70 engineers working across hardware design, embedded systems, and AI-based image processing. GalaxEye’s in-house team designed most components — including the radar payload, imaging optics, and onboard software — instead of outsourcing them. This hands-on approach allowed the company to maintain control over quality, data integration, and cost.
Partnerships That Strengthen India’s Space Ecosystem
GalaxEye didn’t build Drishti in isolation. The company forged partnerships with ISRO, Antrix Corporation, and several private manufacturing partners in Hyderabad and Pune. ISRO scientists offered technical mentorship under the IN-SPACe collaboration framework, which allows private entities to access government expertise and testing facilities.
For launch operations, GalaxEye signed an agreement with SpaceX earlier this year. The deal enables the startup to send Drishti into a 550-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit aboard a Falcon 9 rideshare mission. Choosing SpaceX’s rideshare service saved costs while ensuring reliability, as Falcon 9 currently maintains one of the world’s highest success rates for orbital launches.
Why Drishti Matters to the Global Market
The commercial satellite imaging market has evolved from niche scientific use to mainstream demand. Governments, insurers, agriculture companies, and disaster-management agencies all depend on precise, near-real-time data about the planet’s surface.
Existing satellite providers such as Planet Labs, ICEYE, and Capella Space dominate the market, but GalaxEye plans to compete by offering “multi-layered insights” rather than raw images. The startup’s proprietary AI pipeline will process the combined radar-optical data onboard before transmitting it to ground stations.
This architecture reduces data volume, speeds up delivery, and gives clients actionable insights directly — for example, identifying flood-affected areas even under cloud cover, monitoring forest health through multi-spectral analysis, or assessing urban expansion at high resolution.
Suyash Singh and his cofounder Anirudh Sharma, a former NASA researcher, believe this hybrid-data approach offers unmatched reliability. “We want to remove blind spots in Earth observation. Clouds, night, or atmospheric interference should not stop access to data. Drishti solves that,” Sharma said during a recent demo at the Bengaluru Tech Summit.
Funding and Future Growth
To build and launch Drishti, GalaxEye raised $10 million in its latest Series A round in early 2025. The round was led by Speciale Invest, with participation from Artha Venture Fund, Upsparks, and several strategic angels from the aerospace industry.
The startup plans to use the capital to expand its satellite fleet over the next three years. The roadmap includes two additional satellites — Drishti-2 and Drishti-3 — to form a constellation by 2028. Each will improve coverage frequency and imaging precision.
Singh revealed that the company aims to reach global revenue of $50 million annually by 2030, primarily through analytics subscriptions and data licensing to governments, agricultural enterprises, and insurance providers.
How GalaxEye Symbolizes India’s Space-Tech Evolution
GalaxEye’s journey mirrors the transformation of India’s private space ecosystem. For decades, space technology remained locked within government agencies. But in 2020, the Indian government introduced reforms that opened the sector to private players through IN-SPACe and NSIL.
These policy shifts inspired a new generation of entrepreneurs to enter the domain. Today, more than 200 space startups operate across India, from propulsion specialists to satellite data firms. Companies like Skyroot Aerospace, Agnikul Cosmos, and Pixxel have already demonstrated India’s ability to compete globally. GalaxEye now joins that list with its own distinct innovation: multi-sensor satellite imaging.
From Vision to Execution: The Engineering Challenge
Designing a satellite like Drishti involved hundreds of engineering decisions that could make or break the mission. The team needed to balance weight, power consumption, sensor accuracy, and thermal management within strict limits.
To achieve this, GalaxEye developed a custom radar antenna that folds into compact modules during launch and expands once in orbit. The satellite also uses onboard AI chips optimized for real-time data fusion. This reduces dependency on ground processing and enables faster delivery of insights.
The company’s test engineers validated every subsystem at ISRO’s UR Rao Satellite Centre, including vibration, vacuum, and radiation tests. These trials confirmed that Drishti could endure the stress of launch and the extremes of space.
Empowering India’s Data Infrastructure
Once operational, Drishti will stream gigabytes of fused data daily to ground stations in Bengaluru and Singapore. GalaxEye’s cloud platform, InsightStream, will convert raw imagery into thematic layers — vegetation indices, infrastructure maps, soil moisture charts, and more.
Government agencies in India have already shown interest in pilot access. The Ministry of Agriculture plans to use Drishti’s data for crop monitoring and drought assessment. Disaster-management authorities in Odisha and Assam have also engaged in discussions for flood mapping.
By building both the satellite and the analytics layer, GalaxEye eliminates dependence on foreign imagery. It strengthens India’s data sovereignty while expanding export potential.
A Signal to the World
When Drishti rides atop the Falcon 9 rocket in early 2026, it will represent more than one startup’s success. It will symbolize a broader shift — India’s arrival as a serious player in commercial space technology.
GalaxEye’s journey from a small lab to an orbital mission shows what Indian startups can achieve with technical rigor, policy support, and global partnerships. The company’s team doesn’t speak in slogans about space nationalism; they act through precise engineering and relentless execution.
In a world that increasingly depends on satellite data for everything from farming to finance, Drishti offers a new perspective — both literally and metaphorically. The satellite doesn’t just watch Earth; it empowers humans to understand it better.
As Suyash Singh put it, “Space isn’t about distance anymore. It’s about insight. Our mission is to make Earth observation smarter, faster, and truly global.”
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