Bengaluru Start-up Loses Contact With World's First OptoSAR Satellite Drishti After Solar Storm

Bengaluru-based space technology start-up GalaxEye has lost communication with its Mission Drishti satellite, the world's first OptoSAR satellite , following an anomaly triggered by an intense geomagnetic solar storm . The company said the chances of recovering the spacecraft currently appear to be low.

Launched in May 2026 , Mission Drishti marked a significant milestone in India's private space sector by combining electro-optical (EO) and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensors into a single operational satellite. This innovative combination enables high-resolution imaging in daylight and clear weather through EO sensors, while SAR technology captures images regardless of weather conditions or time of day using radar signals.

According to GalaxEye, the satellite initially performed as expected. It successfully established communication with ground stations and completed a substantial part of its Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP). During this phase, the mission validated several key spacecraft systems, executed critical deployment and attitude control operations, and successfully operated its onboard computing and communication systems.

However, the company said communication became unstable after the satellite encountered an anomaly linked to an extreme space weather event . Preliminary analysis suggests that radiation effects caused by the geomagnetic storm likely affected a critical onboard system , resulting in intermittent communication before contact was completely lost.

Despite the setback, GalaxEye Founder and CEO Suyash Singh described the mission as an important learning experience. He said the engineering insights gained from Mission Drishti would help strengthen the company's future satellite programmes.

Singh also announced that GalaxEye will accelerate efforts to bring a significant portion of its manufacturing, satellite development, and supply chain operations in-house . The move aims to improve visibility, quality control, and resilience across the company's entire satellite production process as it prepares for future missions.

Although Mission Drishti may not be recoverable, the company believes the mission has laid valuable groundwork for advancing next-generation Earth observation technologies in India's growing private space industry.