Mention salient features of 'Mission Drishti'. Discuss the imaging techniques used in the satellite launched on 3rd May 2026. Why…

Salient Features of Mission Drishti

Mission Drishti is the Earth-observation satellite of GalaxEye Space, a Bengaluru start-up founded in 2021 by IIT-Madras alumni. It was launched on 3 May 2026 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Vandenberg, California, into a roughly 500 km sun-synchronous orbit. At about 190 kg, it is India's largest privately built Earth-observation satellite. Its 'OptoSAR' payload houses both sensors on a single, thermally stable bench; on-board edge computing (an Nvidia Jetson Orin module) enables near-real-time processing; and it is the first of a planned 10-satellite constellation by 2030.

Imaging Techniques

• Synthetic Aperture Radar (X-band): an active microwave sensor that images through cloud, rain and darkness.
• Multispectral optical imager (7 bands): a passive sensor using reflected sunlight for detailed mapping of land, water and vegetation.
• SyncFusion: both sensors image the same scene simultaneously from the same angle, at roughly 1.2–3.6 m resolution, and the data are fused, combining radar's all-weather reliability with optical clarity.

This supports disaster warning, crop monitoring, forestry, urban planning, defence surveillance and maritime domain awareness.

Why World's First

Earlier missions carried SAR and optical sensors on separate satellites, so images were taken at different times and angles. Drishti is the first commercial satellite to carry both on one platform, capturing co-registered images simultaneously for continuous, all-weather, high-resolution monitoring. It complements ISRO's Cartosat, RISAT and EOS series and shows the private sector's growing role in India's space economy.