Infosys-backed GalaxEye plans new satellite to meet global demand for geospatial data
ETtech (L-R) Rakshit Bhatt, Suyash Singh, Denil Chawda, Kishan Thakkar, Pranit Mehta, cofounders, GalaxEye
Infosys-backed space tech startup GalaxEye said it will develop another imaging satellite given the growing demand for geospatial data globally for agriculture, mining, and defence. The new satellite will have a near 0.5 metre resolution for quality insights needed in critical sectors. The Bengaluru-based startup said its first satellite, Mission Drishti, scheduled for launch later this year from SpaceX, has a resolution of 1.25 metres.For both the satellites, GalaxEye will be using its proprietary technology by combining synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and optical multi-spectral imaging (MSI), aiming to provide all-weather information. The startup said the second satellite will not only deliver improved spatial resolution but also reduce revisit time to under three days, improving the responsiveness and utility of its constellation.'The world's first SyncFusion SAR-Optical satellite, originally designed in India, will now also be fully built in-house, highlighting GalaxEye's growing manufacturing and systems integration capabilities,' the startup said in a statement, adding that it will also expand its current manufacturing capabilities.
IIT-Madras alumnus and CEO of the startup, Suyash Singh, said the two satellites will give a big boost to data collection and the evolving needs of defence customers. 'Our sensor stack has already been tested on over 500 aerial test flights, backed by a proprietary signal processing toolchain, the success of the POEM payload, the Drishti (1.25 m) launch, and purpose-built software to extract actionable insights,' the CEO said. Singh added that the startup will also focus on vertical integration as the clients demand more persistent eyes in the sky, expecting detailed analytics data.
'GalaxEye's vision to bring reliability and Service Level Agreements to satellite imagery—all-time, all-weather imagery—is a game changer. We've believed in their mission from the start, and with the technology now de-risked, it's time to scale,' said Vishesh Rajaram, Managing Partner at Speciale Invest, an early investor in the startup.
To date, the startup has raised $22.09 million over six rounds, with Infosys owning a minority stake worth $17 crore. The firm is currently undergoing mission concept and preliminary design reviews and is strategically positioning itself to expand into high-priority international defence markets, including the United States, West Asia, and Europe.
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