From hyperloop to orbit: The IIT alumni who want to see through clouds

GalaxEye founder Suyash Singh and his co-founders spent five years building Drishti, a satellite that sees through clouds even at night, and which was launched earlier this month on a SpaceX rocket

On May 3, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California carrying a 190-kilogramme satellite built by a team of engineers in Bengaluru. For Suyash Singh, founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of GalaxEye, the launch marked the end of a five-year effort to prove that a privately-funded and -developed Indian startup could build and put into orbit a satellite capable of imaging Earth through the clouds, day or night, and in any weather, for that matter.

 

The satellite, called Drishti (literally, vision or sight), is what GalaxEye describes as the world's first OptoSAR platform — a single spacecraft that integrates both optical and synthetic aperture radar sensors. The company holds a patent on the technology. If the technology performs as claimed, it could address one of Earth observation's most persistent limitations: the inability of optical cameras to see through cloud cover.

 

The launch positions GalaxEye at the intersection of two accelerating trends — India's rapid expansion of its private space sector and a global surge in government demand for sovereign surveillance capabilities. The company has raised over $20 million to date and plans a 10-satellite constellation by 2030.

 

Drishti is India's largest privately-developed Earth observation satellite, according to the company. The satellite operates in a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of approximately 500 km, revisiting the same location every four days, with a resolution ranging from 1.2 to 3.6 metres, depending on the mode.

 

Conventional Earth observation systems face a structural tradeoff: optical cameras produce intuitive, high-resolution imagery but can be easily blocked by cloud cover; radar sensors operate through clouds and at night but are harder to interpret. GalaxEye's OptoSAR design places both on a single platform, enabling uninterrupted imaging in any weather or light condition. The satellite is optimised for defence surveillance, maritime monitoring, agricultural monitoring, and disaster response.

 

Heightened geopolitical tensions have sharpened government focus on sovereign surveillance capabilities. GalaxEye’s innovation comes at a time when India has announced plans to launch over 50 spy satellites and add night-time imaging capabilities.

 

Singh operates GalaxEye as a dual-use company serving both strategic and commercial markets, and describes it as a "national asset”: an Indian-headquartered company with satellites registered in India, and subject to government approvals.

 

The Indian government has supported GalaxEye across satellite development, regulatory approvals, and as a potential customer. It is evaluating how the technology can integrate into existing systems across defence and civilian applications, including agriculture and crop volumetric estimation. GalaxEye, which employs 140 people currently, has also partnered with NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), for global distribution of its satellite imagery.

 

“The sustained effort over the last five to six years on confidence-building, capacity-building, and the commercialisation of India's private space technology ecosystem is now showing tangible results. Mission Drishti by GalaxEye is a fine example of this — the world's first OptoSAR satellite from an Indian private player,” said Dr Pawan Goenka, chairman of the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), which provided access to testing infrastructure and relevant authorisations ahead of GalaxEye's launch.

 

Singh is one of five IIT Madras alumni who founded GalaxEye in 2021. The co-founders — Singh as CEO, Denil Chawda as chief technology officer, Kishan Thakkar as vice president (VP) of engineering, Pranit Mehta as VP of sales operations, and Rakshit Bhatt as VP of product — had previously collaborated on Avishkar Hyperloop, which became the only Asian finalist among the top global applicants at the SpaceX Hyperloop competition. The SpaceX relationship that began there continued. "Booking a satellite launch with the company," Singh said, "is now almost like booking a bus ticket through an app."

 

“Mission Drishti marks our first mission and the culmination of over five years of sustained R&D to develop this breakthrough technology,” Singh said.

 

With Drishti now in orbit, GalaxEye is completing its commissioning phase. Initial imagery is expected to be delivered to customers in the near future. “There is significant interest in the data that will come from the satellite,” Singh said. “The conversations are focused on converting that data into specific use cases and actionable insights.”

 

India’s geospatial and space policies govern how satellite data can be distributed. Singh said GalaxEye owns the data generated by its satellites and can commercialise it subject to Indian regulations. He described India’s regulatory framework as “open, liberal and supported by clear operational guidelines".

 

On the commercial side, Singh said revisit rates could improve from roughly once a week initially to daily, or every six hours, with the planned constellation. Weekly imaging, he noted, is already commercially viable for use cases such as agriculture monitoring, where daily coverage is not essential. Profitability, he said, should improve significantly from second-generation satellites onward.

 

Backed by over $20 million in total investment, GalaxEye's supporters include Speciale Invest, Mela Ventures, Infosys, Ideaforge, and Rainmatter, the investment arm of Zerodha.

 

The competitive landscape is demanding. GalaxEye's rivals include Iceye, valued at about $2.8 billion and Maxar Technologies, with significant market share— companies with established contracts and infrastructure.

 

To fund the planned constellation, Singh said the company will raise additional capital alongside early revenues and government-backed support, including through the government's research, development, and innovation fund scheme.

 

GalaxEye envisions Drishti as the first node in a 10-satellite constellation slated for completion by 2030, with next-generation satellites expected to deliver higher performance.