Why in news?
Mission Drishti is an upcoming Indian space mission by the Bengaluru-based space-tech startup GalaxEye, planned to launch in early 2026.

• It is the world’s first multi-sensor Earth observation (EO) satellite developed by the Indian space-tech startup by IIT Madras GalaxEye.
• The satellite is planned to launch in early 2026 and is designed for advanced geospatial analysis across sectors like defense, disaster management, agriculture, and environmental monitoring.
• It aligns with India’s "Make in India" and "Atmanirbhar Bharat" initiatives and is the largest privately built satellite in India, weighing 160 kg.​

Key Features

• First satellite worldwide to fuse SAR and optical sensors on one platform.
• Offers uninterrupted, all-weather, real-time Earth observation data.
• Resolution of about 1.5 meters.
• Weighs 160 kg.
• Mission includes plans to deploy 8-12 satellites by 2029.
• Successfully underwent structural tests at ISRO’s U R Rao Satellite Centre, proving its resilience to space conditions.
• Built for speed, reliability, and AI-readiness to support fast and accurate decision-making.​

• Provides high-resolution imagery unaffected by clouds, darkness, or adverse weather.

Significance

• The mission overcomes the usual compromise between optical imaging (which is weather-dependent) and SAR imaging (which is reliable but harder to interpret) by fusing both sensor types.
• The technology was successfully demonstrated on a previous payload launched in December 2024 (GLX-SQ), validating the onboard SyncFusion Imaging System for real-time SAR and optical image fusion.​

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