Why In News?

The Prime Minister praised Bengaluru startup GalaxEye for successfully launching Mission Drishti.

About Mission Drishti 

What it is: Mission Drishti is the world's first OptoSAR Earth Observation (EO) satellite.

Developed By: GalaxEye, an Indian space-tech startup founded in 2021 by a team of engineers and alumni from IIT Madras.

Launch Details: It was launched on May 3, 2026, aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket (CAS500-2 mission) from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, USA.

Size and Scope: Weighing about  190 kg, it is currently India’s largest privately built Earth observation satellite and offers the highest resolution among private Indian players.

Key Technological Features

SyncFused Opto-SAR Technology: The satellite's proprietary technology perfectly synchronizes two types of sensors on a single platform: optical (Multi-Spectral) sensors and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR).

Solving the "Blind Spot": Traditionally, high-resolution optical images provide clarity but are blocked by clouds, bad weather, or nightfall.

• SAR signals can penetrate clouds and capture images in the dark but are difficult to interpret without expert analysis.
• Mission Drishti fuses the datasets in real-time, providing intuitive, analysis-ready, and all-weather imagery.

Orbital Specifications: It operates in a Sun-synchronous Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at an altitude of approximately 500 km.

Resolution and Revisit: The satellite provides high-precision spatial resolution ranging from 1.2 to 3.6 meters and can revisit the exact same location every 4 days.

Dual-Use Capabilities: The data generated is valuable for both civilian and military purposes. Its applications span across:

• Defense & National Security: Border surveillance and maritime domain awareness.
• Civilian & Economic: Disaster management, agriculture, infrastructure/urban planning, and insurance assessments.

Source: PIB