GalaxEye Builds Two Satellites After Solar Storm Loss

Bengaluru-based space-tech startup GalaxEye will launch two next-generation OptoSAR satellites over the next 24 months and expand in-house manufacturing after its maiden mission, Mission Drishti, lost communication during an extreme geomagnetic solar storm.

Launched May 3 on a SpaceX rocket, Mission Drishti was the first satellite to combine optical and synthetic-aperture radar on a single platform. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk acknowledged the milestone for India's private space sector. Before the anomaly, the satellite completed most of its Launch and Early Orbit Phase, demonstrating deployment, attitude control, onboard computing, and ground-station communication from GalaxEye's Bengaluru Mission Control Centre.

During the final stage of that phase, an extreme solar storm struck. The company said radiation from the space weather event likely affected a critical onboard system, making communication intermittent and then cutting it. Recovery efforts continue. The odds of re-establishing contact are low, GalaxEye said.

"Mission Drishti marks the culmination of years of innovation, engineering, and execution by our team. While the satellite experienced an anomaly following an extreme space weather event, the mission has provided invaluable engineering insights that will directly strengthen our future missions. Learning from the mission, we are accelerating our transition toward bringing a significant portion of our supply chain, manufacturing, and satellite development processes in-house, giving us visibility and control over the entire value chain," said Suyash Singh, Founder and CEO of GalaxEye.