GalaxEye’s “Mission Drishti” — India’s Largest Privately Built Commercial Satellite

🔍 Key Facts

The satellite is named Mission Drishti, developed by the Bengaluru-based startup GalaxEye. 

It is reported to weigh ~160 kg, making it India’s largest privately-built commercial satellite to date. 

Mission Drishti combines optical imaging and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) payloads on one platform—GalaxEye’s “SyncFused Opto-SAR” technology. 

The spatial resolution is claimed to be ~1.5 metres per pixel. 

Targeted launch: First quarter of 2026, aboard a SpaceX rocket according to reports. 

Part of a planned constellation: GalaxEye aims to deploy 8 to 12 satellites by 2029. 

💡 Why This Matters

Commercial Space Growth in India: This marks a milestone in India’s private space sector, showing capability beyond small satellites and into more advanced, commercially competitive hardware.

All-weather, Day/Night Imaging: The fusion of optical + SAR payloads means the satellite can capture imagery regardless of weather or lighting conditions—this expands its utility for sectors like defence, infrastructure, disaster monitoring, agriculture.

High Resolution: 1.5 m resolution opens up applications that were previously dominated by government or large commercial players.

Constellation Ambition: By scaling to a multi-satellite constellation, GalaxEye is positioning for near-real-time imagery and global coverage—which could shift how downstream geospatial intelligence is delivered.

⚠️ Considerations & Challenges

Launch & Deployment Risk: The success of the mission will depend on the launch vehicle, orbital insertion, payload performance, and operational readiness of the constellation.

Market Competition: Globally, many companies provide high-resolution Earth observation services. GalaxEye must offer competitive cost, data delivery, service quality, and analytics to stand out.

Regulatory / Export Controls: SAR payloads may face stricter regulations or export controls; commercial operations must navigate licensing, geopolitics, and data security concerns.

Operational Data Ecosystem: The hardware is just one part. Building the data pipelines, analytics, customer interface, and business model is crucial for commercial success.

Reliability & Scale: The plan to launch 8-12 satellites by 2029 is ambitious. Keeping up scale, manufacturing, ground infrastructure, launch cadence will be challenging.

🔭 What to Watch Next

Launch date confirmation & mission manifest: Watch for announcements of the exact launch vehicle, orbit, timeline for Mission Drishti.

First imagery & service roll-out: When the satellite becomes operational, the first commercial data—what sectors take it, what resolution/coverage is achieved.

Constellation follow-up satellites: How many satellites are ordered/launched after Drishti, what incremental capabilities they bring (e.g., revisit time improvement).

Partnerships & customers: Commercial contracts, partnerships with governments or enterprises in agriculture, insurance, infrastructure, defence.

Regulatory developments in India: Policies affecting private satellite manufacturing, launch, data services, export of imagery.