Bengaluru startup gains access to IN-SPACe testing facilities

Bengaluru: Space tech startup GalaxEye is set to make use of the co-working and testing space facilities of Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) in Ahmedabad.

GalaxEye is working on a constellation of multi-sensor Earth Observation (EO) satellites and eyeing a launch for its first satellite – Drishti Mission – within a year. The satellites come with technology that facilitates high-quality imaging, regardless of changes in the weather, and help in critical domains including disaster management.

The partnership between the Bengaluru-based startup and the autonomous agency in the Department of Space was formalised through an MoU on May 1.

GalaxEye said the partnership would also enable the company to use the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)’s top-of-the-range laboratories and testing facilities.

In 2023, the IIT Chennai-incubated company unveiled its drone-based Synthetic Aperture Radar system for the defence markets. IN-SPACe is a single-window nodal agency that oversees all space activities by non-government entities in the country.

Suyash Singh, co-founder and CEO of GalaxEye, said the partnership would significantly improve ways in which data from the earth’s orbit are sourced and analysed. “This initiative will allow us to deploy India’s first privately-led cluster of EO satellites, enhancing our capability to monitor climate patterns, urban development, and natural phenomena with unprecedented precision,” Singh said.

Satellite imagery is set to improve, even under adverse weather conditions, and help businesses and governments take more informed decisions, he said.

The MoU was signed in Ahmedabad in the presence of senior IN-SPACe officials including Chairman Pawan Goenka.