Galaxy’s Mission Vision OptoSAR satellite was integrated inside the payload fairing ahead of Sunday’s launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, a milestone in all-season Earth observation.

New Delhi: Indian space-tech startup GalaxyEye on Sunday announced the launch of Drishti – an India-made satellite that combines radar and optical sensors in real time to provide high-resolution images of the same location at the same time regardless of weather conditions.Congratulating the entire team of GalaxyI, PM Narendra Modi said in a post on Twitter, “Mission VISION by GalaxyI is a major achievement in our space journey. The successful launch of the world’s first OptoSAR satellite and the largest privately built satellite in India is a testament to the passion for innovation and nation-building of our youth.” ISROSupporting the mission, he also congratulated the team. In a post on X, ISRO said, “A significant milestone in India’s space journey, the world’s first OptoSAR satellite and India’s largest privately built satellite is advancing all-weather Earth observation capabilities.”The Bengaluru-based startup said its 190-kilogram spacecraft, the “world’s first OptoSAR satellite”, was launched into orbit on SpaceX’s Falcon-9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, US. It was one of 45 payloads on the CAS500-2 mission. The mission has been widely seen as a breakthrough for India’s growing private space sector, with the satellite designed to provide imaging of the Earth in all weather, day and night, by a combination of optical and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) technologies.

In a statement, GalaxyEye Founder and CEO Suyyash Singh said, “With the satellite (Mission Drishti) now successfully placed in orbit, our immediate focus is on completing its commissioning. As we move through this phase, we are already seeing strong global interest in the differentiated datasets enabled by our OptoSAR payload.”GalaxyEye, founded in 2021 by IIT Madras alumni, has emerged as a major player in India’s new space economy, with the mission vision seen as a validation of its indigenous OptoSAR technology and commercial Earth observation capabilities.Space experts said the success of Mission Drishti reflects India’s evolving space ecosystem, where private startups are increasingly working with ISRO, space regulator Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Center (IN-SPACE) and their commercial arm NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL). On behalf of the space industry, Lieutenant General AK Bhatt (Retd), Director General, Indian Space Association (ISPA), said, “The successful launch of the first satellite of Galaxy under Mission Drishti, which is the largest satellite ever built by a private Indian company, marks a significant 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 the transition from small-scale testing to sovereign, all-weather monitoring capabilities critical for national security and disaster response.“With this launch, India’s private space sector has taken another major step towards global competitiveness, as Mission Drishti opens up new possibilities for defence, disaster management, agriculture and infrastructure monitoring through advanced satellite imaging.