TDB backs GalaxEye with ₹63.84 crore to build OptoSAR imaging satellite
TDB will extend ₹63.84 crore to GalaxEye under its RDI Fund for a multisensor satellite using indigenous OptoSAR technology.
The Technology Development Board (TDB) of the Department of Science and Technology has signed an agreement with Bengaluru-based GalaxEye Space Solutions Private Limited to extend ₹63.84 crore in financial support under its Research Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund.
The project carries a total approved cost of ₹247.69 crore and is aimed at building a multisensor satellite capable of high-resolution OptoSAR imaging. The support will be routed through Optionally Convertible Debentures.
At the core of the effort is OptoSAR, which seeks to fuse two distinct modes of Earth observation — Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and Electro-Optical (EO) imaging. Optical imaging delivers fine visual detail but is constrained by cloud cover and available light, while SAR works regardless of daylight and can see through clouds. Combining the two is expected to yield a richer and more continuous picture of the ground.
The proposed satellite is designed to deliver sub-0.5 metre resolution. Its intended uses include wide-area and long-range surveillance, detection of humans and vehicles, and target classification, with imaging possible across varied weather and lighting conditions.
The programme is structured as a technology-maturation effort, taking the system from Technology Readiness Level 6 to Level 9. The RDI funding is meant to help GalaxEye carry out the development, engineering, testing and validation needed for that progression.
Rajesh Kumar Pathak, Secretary, TDB, said India's space ecosystem is entering a phase where the ability to develop and deploy sophisticated technologies domestically will matter increasingly, and that the RDI Fund supports technology-intensive work through the critical stages between advanced development and deployment. The agreement, he said, reflects TDB's focus on enabling indigenous capabilities in emerging space technologies and supporting their journey towards commercialisation.
The promoters of GalaxEye said the support would help accelerate development and validation of OptoSAR. By combining SAR and optical sensing, they said, the company is working towards an Earth-observation capability that can provide high-resolution information across a wider range of weather and lighting conditions, with the partnership important for reaching TRL-9 and subsequent deployment.