Sisir Radar bags $7 million Series A to launch India's private SAR by 2026

Kolkata-based Sisir Radar has raised $7 million in a Series A led by 360 ONE Asset. It is targeting India's first private L-band SAR satellite launch by 2026 for 24/7 imaging

Sisir Radar, an Indian space and defence technology startup, has raised $7 million in its Series A funding round led by 360 ONE Asset, along with Shastra VC.

 

What is Sisir Radar planning to launch by 2026?

 

The company is targeting the launch of India’s first private L-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite by 2026. Designed, engineered and built in India, the satellite is expected to deliver high-resolution, all-weather imagery for national security, environmental monitoring, urban planning and disaster management.

 

Sisir Radar said it has built the world’s highest-resolution L- and P-band SAR and has won two iDEX challenges to build specialised SAR satellites for the Indian Air Force (IAF). It is also working with industrial stakeholders in defence and other sectors, the company said.

 

 

How does SAR technology work and what makes it useful?

 

Synthetic aperture radar is an advanced remote-sensing technology that delivers continuous, high-resolution monitoring that is not affected by clouds, darkness, smoke or terrain. Sisir Radar said it is developing next-generation systems mounted on platforms ranging from spaceborne to airborne to deliver 24/7 situational awareness.

 

Who founded Sisir Radar and what is its background?

 

Founded by Tapan Misra, who worked on the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (Isro’s) first SAR satellite mission, RISAT, Sisir Radar designs and develops SAR payloads. The company said Misra brings nearly four decades of experience as an Isro veteran.

 

Why is Sisir Radar focusing on L- and P-band instead of X-band?

 

Highlighting the need for advanced imaging technologies, Misra said, “While the private sector across the world focuses on X-band SAR, India’s geographical nuances require the ability to not just see through clouds but also through vegetation for any meaningful application, be it military or civilian. This requires lower frequencies like L and P bands where, conventionally, getting high resolution is challenging but high resolution is imperative. This is what we have cracked for L and P bands. The level of SAR technology that we are building positions us in the same playing field as space agencies of top spacefaring nations. We are setting new benchmarks for what the private sector can achieve in space globally.”

 

The company said the mission is expected to deliver real-time, high-resolution imagery through dense foliage, adverse weather and complete darkness, positioning India in the global market for privately launched SAR satellites.

 

Who participated in the Series A and what did the investors say?

 

The Series A round was led by 360 ONE Asset, with the investment coming from the venture capital arm of its private equity business. Shastra VC, Sisir Radar’s lead investor in its seed round, also participated.

 

Abhishek Nag, head of early-stage VC, 360 ONE Asset, said, “Space-based L- and P-band SAR is now core sovereignty infrastructure for any nation that takes border security, maritime domain awareness, and climate resilience seriously. What Sisir Radar is building is a full-stack radar company—from waveform design and on-board processing to ground systems and analytics—anchored in Indian IP and backed by domestic capital. For us, the truly exceptional part is the founding team: Dr Tapan Misra and his colleagues bring decades of systems-engineering experience from ISRO but are executing with the speed, frugality, and ambition of a startup. We believe Sisir can become one of the global reference companies in radar imaging.”

 

Vasant Rao, managing partner, Shastra VC, said, “Sisir Radar represents the kind of deep-tech ambition India needs. The startup has generated original IP, world-leading performance and a team that understands how to translate complex engineering into national capability. Their L- and P-band SAR systems are not just ahead of the global curve; they redefine what is technically possible at this price-performance envelope. We backed them early because we saw a generational opportunity, and we are doubling down because they continue to execute with precision and conviction.”

 

What performance claims is Sisir Radar making about its SAR systems?

 

Sisir Radar said it has designed and developed proprietary L-band and P-band SAR, with 0.75 metre resolution in L-band and 2.5 metre resolution in P-band SAR, which it said is 10 times better than prevailing global standards. The company said these frequency bands offer foliage penetration and ground penetration capabilities.

 

What do the founders say the funding will enable next?

 

Soumya Misra, chief executive officer and founder, Sisir Radar, said, “India’s strategic needs demand sovereign, high-precision sensing infrastructure built on indigenous technology. With this mission, we are proving that world-class deep-tech can be built in India for the world, rooted in scientific excellence, engineered for scale and driven by national purpose. This funding enables us to accelerate from prototypes to orbital assets and to position India at the forefront of global space-borne radar intelligence.”

 

Urmi Bhambhani, chief technology officer and founder, Sisir Radar, said, “Our approach has always been to engineer radar systems end-to-end, with absolute control over hardware, software and on-orbit performance. The L-band mission is the epitome of years of first-principles design, advanced signal processing, and highly efficient SAR architectures. This capital infusion allows us to expand our R&D pipeline.”

 

Why is space-based radar becoming strategic infrastructure globally?

 

Globally, SAR companies have shown how space-based radar is becoming strategic infrastructure for governments and enterprises, enabling persistent, intelligence-grade monitoring of assets, borders and environments. For India, where large parts of the country experience persistent cloud cover, heavy monsoons and dense foliage, longer-wavelength L- and P-band SAR can support continuous situational awareness for defence, disaster response, agriculture and climate resilience, the company said.