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GalaxEye Puts ‘Drishti’ OptoSAR Earth‑Imaging Satellite Into Orbit on SpaceX Falcon 9

Commissioning now begins for the craft billed to produce fused optical–radar images in any weather.

Overview

  • Drishti, which launched Sunday on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 from Vandenberg as part of the CAS500‑2 rideshare, separated cleanly into orbit according to the company.
  • The startup describes the satellite as the world’s first OptoSAR platform that captures optical and synthetic‑aperture‑radar views of the same spot at the same time for day‑and‑night coverage.
  • The 190‑kg spacecraft is reported as India’s largest privately built Earth‑observation satellite.
  • GalaxEye says onboard AI using Nvidia’s Jetson Orin will process images in orbit and can regenerate optical‑like views from radar data when clouds or darkness block cameras.
  • The mission targets dual‑use tasks such as disaster response, defence monitoring, farming and maritime tracking, and the firm plans a roughly 10‑satellite constellation by 2030 after this commissioning phase.