SAR-Optical Fusion Satellite for EO

GalaxEye Space is an Indian space startup developing a multi-sensor Earth observation satellite that fuses SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) and optical imaging on the same platform. This combination addresses the fundamental limitation of each technology independently: optical satellites provide detailed color imagery but are blocked by clouds, while SAR satellites see through clouds but produce grayscale microwave images that are harder to interpret.

GalaxEye’s DRISHTI satellite (DRISHTI means ‘vision’ in Sanskrit) carries both a SAR antenna and an optical camera, enabling the satellite to collect both data types simultaneously over the same target area. AI-based data fusion algorithms merge the SAR and optical data to produce products that combine the cloud-penetrating capability of radar with the rich spatial context and color information of optical imagery — creating a new class of ‘all-weather high-context’ Earth observation.

GalaxEye is headquartered in Bengaluru, India, and was founded by IIT Madras alumni. The company has received funding from the Indian government (DST, ISRO technology transfer programs) and private investors. GalaxEye represents the next wave of Indian NewSpace startups building differentiated capabilities for global EO markets, targeting agricultural monitoring, infrastructure inspection, and maritime domain awareness as primary verticals.