{"id":101726,"date":"2026-05-04T17:08:30","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T11:38:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=101726"},"modified":"2026-05-04T17:08:30","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T11:38:30","slug":"drishti-satellite","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/drishti-satellite\/","title":{"rendered":"Drishti Satellite Opto-SAR Technology: How Drishti Satellite Opto-SAR Technology is Transforming Space Imaging"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>Drishti Satellite Latest News<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Indian space start-up <\/span><b>GalaxEye <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">launched its <\/span><b>first satellite<\/b> <b><i>&#8216;Drishti&#8217;<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, as one of 45 payloads on the CAS500-2 mission.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Founded by IIT Madras alumni, GalaxEye has created the <\/span><b>world&#8217;s first satellite<\/b> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">capable of capturing optical and radar images simultaneously<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of the same location \u2014 a technological first in space imaging.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Space Imaging<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Space imaging refers to the collection of visual and electromagnetic data from space, used to map celestial bodies, track cosmic phenomena, and monitor Earth&#8217;s environment.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This technology translates data from across the electromagnetic spectrum into high-resolution imagery.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Key Technologies<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Optical Sensors<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Capture visible light to produce detailed, high-resolution photographs of Earth and deep-space objects.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR):<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Emits microwave pulses to map terrain. Because it doesn&#8217;t rely on sunlight, it can image through clouds, smoke, and total darkness.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Infrared and Thermal Imaging<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Detects heat signatures, which is essential for studying star formation in deep space and monitoring wildfires or climate patterns on Earth.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Hyperspectral Imaging<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Breaks down light into hundreds of narrow bands, allowing scientists to identify the exact chemical composition of minerals, vegetation, and gases.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>AI and Cloud Computing<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Modern space systems utilize artificial intelligence directly on orbit to process petabytes of imagery instantly, enabling real-time change detection and analysis.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Limitations of Existing Imaging Technologies<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Space imaging satellites currently use one of two technologies:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Optical\/Multi-spectral Imaging<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2014 Works like a normal camera, producing clear, intuitive, and easy-to-understand images.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, it is ineffective during cloudy weather or night time \u2014 a significant limitation for tropical countries like India where cloud cover is frequent and unpredictable.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2014 Uses radar signals that can penetrate clouds and capture images continuously regardless of weather or lighting conditions.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, SAR images are not intuitive \u2014 like X-ray images, they require trained experts to interpret the data, limiting their usability for general users.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>The Gap \u2014 Why Fusion is Needed but Difficult<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Users currently need data from multiple satellites \u2014 optical data for clarity and SAR data for continuity and all-weather availability.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While superimposing these two datasets often works, it has serious limitations.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">two satellites are not watching the same place at the same time<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and the angles at which they observe Earth can be very different \u2014 making accurate data fusion a persistent challenge.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>What Makes Drishti Unique \u2014 The Opto-SAR Technology<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Drishti is the <\/span><b>world&#8217;s first satellite<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> equipped with both optical and SAR sensors operating simultaneously to capture images of the same location at the same time.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">GalaxEye calls this proprietary innovation &#8220;<\/span><b>Opto-SAR technology<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.&#8221;<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>The Core Technological Challenge \u2014 and How It Was Solved<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SAR and optical sensors are designed differently and look at Earth at different angles.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If placed side by side without synchronisation, the optical sensor might be capturing Bengaluru while the SAR sensor is simultaneously capturing Dubai.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">GalaxEye developed a <\/span><b>proprietary technology stack<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that synchronises the functionalities of both sensors, enabling them to look at the exact same location at the same time.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hence, it eliminates the need for users to manually align datasets from two different satellites.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>The AI Dimension<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When optical sensors are unable to capture images due to clouds, Drishti uses Artificial Intelligence to regenerate optical-like images from SAR data \u2014 further bridging the gap between clarity and all-weather reliability.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Why This Problem is Particularly Indian<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Most traditional satellite companies are based in Western countries where weather is relatively more predictable and skies are cleaner.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They do not face the same intensity of cloud cover challenges that countries like India \u2014 located in the tropics \u2014 routinely experience.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">GalaxEye is therefore solving a problem specific to India and the developing world \u2014 making space imagery available all the time and understandable to all kinds of users.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Applications of Drishti<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The data produced by Drishti has both civilian and military applications including:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">agriculture monitoring,\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">disaster management,\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">urban planning,\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">infrastructure monitoring,\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">border surveillance, and\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">defence intelligence.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>India&#8217;s Growing Space Start-up Ecosystem<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">GalaxEye is part of a rapidly emerging wave of Indian private space companies making significant technological contributions.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Other notable start-ups include:\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Agnikul Cosmos<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (IIT Madras) \u2014 which built the world&#8217;s first 3D-printed rocket engine, Skyroot \u2014 which tested India&#8217;s first privately built rocket, and\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Pixxel, Dhruva Space, and Bellatrix<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2014 demonstrating impressive innovations in satellite technologies.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This ecosystem has been significantly enabled by <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/about-indian-space-policy-2023\/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>India&#8217;s Space Policy 2023<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which opened end-to-end space activities to private players.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/india\/galaxeye-drishti-satellite-spacex-launch-opto-sar-technology-explained-10669686\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">IE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Drishti Satellite opto-SAR technology combines optical and radar imaging, enabling real-time, all-weather satellite data for agriculture, defence, and disaster management.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[7322,60,22,59],"class_list":{"0":"post-101726","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","7":"tag-drishti-satellite","8":"tag-mains-articles","9":"tag-upsc-current-affairs","10":"tag-upsc-mains-current-affairs-tag","11":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101726","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=101726"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101726\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":101795,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101726\/revisions\/101795"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=101726"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=101726"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=101726"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}