GalaxEye Secures Rs 64 Crore Govt Funding to Build OptoSAR Satellite After Drishti Setback

Bengaluru-based spacetech startup GalaxEye Space Solutions will receive Rs 63.84 crore (roughly Rs 64 crore) in govt funding to build a multisensor OptoSAR satellite. The deal comes months after the setback of its first satellite, Drishti. The new satellite is designed to capture Earth imagery at a resolution finer than 0.5 metres. The Technology Development Board (TDB), under the Department of Science and Technology (DST), signed the agreement under the Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund.

The timing stands out. GalaxEye lost contact with Drishti in July. Two months later, it holds a fresh US patent and state backing.

GalaxEye RDI Fund Deal at a Glance

Here is the GalaxEye RDI Fund deal at a glance:

• Funding amount: Rs 63.84 crore, through Optionally Convertible Debentures
• Total approved project cost: Rs 247.69 crore
• Goal: Move OptoSAR technology from TRL 6 to TRL 9
• Target resolution: Finer than 0.5 metres
• Funder: TDB under DST, through the RDI Fund

What the Rs 63.84 Crore RDI Fund Support Covers

The Rs 63.84 crore in RDI Fund support covers about a quarter of a project with a total approved cost of Rs 247.69 crore. It isn’t a grant. TDB is providing the money through Optionally Convertible Debentures, a debt instrument that can later convert into equity.

The target is to take the technology from Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6 to TRL 9. TRL 6 means a prototype has worked in a relevant test environment. TRL 9 means the system has proven itself in real operations. That stretch between the two is where many deep-tech companies run out of money. The government said the funds will support further development, engineering, testing and validation ahead of deployment.

How GalaxEye’s OptoSAR Technology Works

GalaxEye’s OptoSAR technology works by fusing two kinds of imaging on one satellite: Electro-Optical (EO) sensing and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR).

Why All-Weather Earth Observation Matters

Optical cameras produce sharp, easy-to-read images, but clouds block them and they need daylight. SAR sends out radar pulses and reads the echoes, so it can see through clouds and at night. The catch is that radar images are harder to interpret. All-weather Earth observation matters because it removes those blind spots, and combining the two sensors gives a continuous, readable picture whatever the weather or light. For a country where monsoon clouds cover large regions for months, that is a practical advantage.

The government listed potential applications including wide-area and long-range surveillance, human and vehicle detection, and target classification. Those point clearly toward defence buyers, a market where Digantara’s $50M Series B has already shown strong investor appetite for space surveillance.

“By combining SAR and optical sensing, we are working towards an Earth-observation capability that can provide high-resolution information across a wider range of weather and lighting conditions,” GalaxEye’s promoters said. “This partnership will be important in taking the technology towards TRL-9 and its subsequent deployment.”

Mission Drishti: Launch, Setback and Lessons

GalaxEye was founded in 2021 by Suyash Singh, Denil Chawda, Pranit Mehta, Kishan Thakkar and Rakshit Bhatt, who were part of a team of engineers at IIT Madras. Their first satellite, Mission Drishti, had its launch on 3 May 2026 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9. At the time, the government called it the world’s first OptoSAR satellite and India’s largest privately built satellite.

The setback came in July. Communication with Drishti became intermittent during the final stage of its Launch and Early Orbit Phase, then stopped entirely. GalaxEye linked the anomaly to radiation effects from a geomagnetic solar storm, which likely hit a critical onboard system. The exact cause is still under investigation.

It wasn’t a wasted mission. Drishti completed a substantial part of its early-orbit activities and validated several spacecraft systems before contact was lost. The company says it will build those lessons into future spacecraft and plans to launch two more OptoSAR satellites within 24 months.

In September, GalaxEye also secured a US patent for technology that synchronises optical and radar sensors. It lets both sensors collect data that is aligned in both place and time from the same satellite, which is the core of the OptoSAR idea.

Why the Rs 1 Lakh Crore RDI Scheme Matters for Indian Spacetech Startups

The Rs 1 lakh crore RDI Scheme matters for Indian spacetech startups because it offers patient, long-term capital for hardware that takes years to prove. It adds to earlier state support such as the Rs 1,000 crore space VC fund. The Union Cabinet approved the scheme on 1 July 2025 with an outlay of Rs 1 lakh crore over six years, and it was formally launched on 3 November 2025.

The scheme runs on two tiers. A Special Purpose Fund within the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) holds the corpus and channels money through Second-Level Fund Managers. TDB and the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) hold that role. Support comes through debt and equity instruments.

As of July 2026, TDB had approved 22 projects with a combined project cost of Rs 4,744 crore and RDI Fund support of Rs 2,192 crore. Private investors are backing defence-linked deep tech too, as Velmenni’s Rs 30 crore round shows.

“The RDI Fund provides an important mechanism to support such technology-intensive efforts through the critical stages between advanced development and deployment,” said TDB Secretary Rajesh Kumar Pathak.

What’s Next for GalaxEye

What’s next for GalaxEye is execution. The startup has to deliver two OptoSAR satellites within 24 months and show that fused-sensor imaging holds up in orbit over time. The RDI Fund covers roughly 26% of the project cost, and the announcement doesn’t say how the rest will be financed.

Still, state backing, a US patent and hard-won orbital data put GalaxEye in a stronger position than its July setback suggested. With milestones like Skyroot’s Vikram-1 launch also on the calendar, India’s private space sector has plenty to watch, and Drishti’s successor is near the top of that list.

Follow KnowStartup for spacetech coverage and updates on GalaxEye’s next launch and weekly startup funding news.

Author

Sachin

Sachin Sidharth is a Digital Marketing professional with a master’s degree in Digital Marketing from Coventry University, UK. He has 10+ years of blogging and online marketing experience. He currently heads Digital Acquisition for a leading London-based Fintech firm. At KnowStartup.com He focuses on writing Digital Marketing guides and manages...

Sachin Sidharth is a Digital Marketing professional with a master’s degree in Digital Marketing from Coventry University, UK. He has 10+ years of blogging and online marketing experience. He currently heads Digital Acquisition for a leading London-based Fintech firm. At KnowStartup.com He focuses on writing Digital Marketing guides and manages KnowStartup's Digital Agency rankings of firms across multiple cities in India. You can reach him on Linkedin.

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