NEW DELHI: A Bengaluru-based startup on Sunday launched India’s largest privately built satellite and the first enabling all-weather imaging of the Earth.
Weighing 190 kg, the OptoSAR satellite was made by GalaxEye under its Mission Drishti. It is among India’s most advanced and was sent into orbit aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg, California.
“The successful launch of the world’s first OptoSAR satellite and the largest privately built satellite in India is a testament to our youth’s passion for innovation and nation-building,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on social media, welcoming the successful launch as a “major achievement” in India’s space journey.
An OptoSAR satellite is a type of Earth observation satellite that combines optical imaging and a synthetic aperture radar.
While optical sensors capture high-resolution images in daylight and clear weather conditions, SAR technology uses radar pulses, allowing viewers to “see” the Earth even through clouds, smoke, or at night. Their integration into one system is expected to provide more reliable observation data.
The satellite, which is scheduled to send its first observation data in a few weeks, sets a “new benchmark for India’s private space sector,” according to Lt. Gen. AK Bhatt (retd.), director general of the Indian Space Association.
“It serves as a definitive proof-of-concept for India’s private space sector reforms and signals a transition from small-scale testing to sovereign, all-weather surveillance capabilities critical for national security and disaster response,” Bhatt told Arab News.
The private sector’s engagement has been crucial in India’s plans to increase its current 2-percent share in the $450 billion global space economy to almost 8 percent by 2033.
In 2025, it had more than 300 active startups operating in rocket launches, satellites, Earth observation, satellite communications, propulsion, electronics, space monitoring and data analytics.
“GalaxEye has achieved what only a few global players have, which is seamlessly combining optical and SAR capabilities on a single platform to enable persistent, all-weather intelligence,” Bhatt said.
“What stands out is not just the technology, but its broader impact on how downstream applications will increasingly define value in the space economy, particularly in Earth observation, where timely, decision-grade insights are critical.”
