GalaxEye Secures US Patent for OptoSAR Satellite Imaging Tech

Indian spacetech startup GalaxEye has secured a US patent for its proprietary OptoSAR

satellite imaging technology, becoming the first Indian startup to receive such protection for

satellite imaging architecture. The same intellectual property has already been patented in India,

strengthening GalaxEye’s position as it looks to serve international Earth-observation markets.

The patent covers the core architecture used to synchronise optical and synthetic aperture radar

sensors on a single satellite. By capturing both datasets at the same time and over the same

location, OptoSAR is designed to combine the clarity of optical imagery with radar’s ability to

operate through clouds, darkness and difficult weather conditions.

GalaxEye tested the technology through Mission Drishti, launched on May 3, 2026. The roughly

190 kg spacecraft became the world’s first OptoSAR imaging satellite and India’s largest

privately built Earth-observation satellite. It combined SAR and multispectral optical sensors on

a single platform to produce aligned, analysis-ready imagery.

The mission later faced a setback when GalaxEye lost communication with Drishti in July

following an anomaly linked to a geomagnetic solar storm. The company said the satellite’s

short operating phase still validated critical technologies and operational processes. GalaxEye

now plans to launch two new OptoSAR satellites within two years while strengthening more

engineering capabilities in-house.

Founded in 2021 and incubated at IIT Madras, GalaxEye is targeting a 30-satellite constellation

over the next five years. The startup has raised $26.9 million so far and recently acquired

spacecraft engineering company StarOps. For GalaxEye, the US patent adds another layer of

defensibility as it moves from proving its technology to building a global Earth-intelligence

business across defence, agriculture, insurance and disaster response.