Drishti Satellite
Context:
An Indian space start-up, GalaxEye, founded by alumni from IIT Madras, has successfully launched its first satellite, named Drishti.
The built-in-India satellite was launched into orbit aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, USA, as part of the CAS500-2 mission.
This launch cements GalaxEye's position among a growing list of Indian space start-ups—such as Agnikul Cosmos, Skyroot, Pixxel, Dhruva Space, and Bellatrix—that are making significant marks in private satellite and rocket innovations.
Technology and Innovations: Opto-SAR Technology:
Drishti is a first-of-its-kind satellite equipped to capture both optical images and radar-generated images of the same location at the exact same time.
Optical Sensors:
These sensors capture multi-spectral or hyper-spectral images that are clear, intuitive, and easy to understand, similar to a normal camera.
However, they suffer from limitations as they are ineffective during nighttime or under cloudy weather conditions.
Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR):
SAR signals solve the visibility problem by penetrating clouds to take continuous images, guaranteeing all-weather reliability.
However, SAR data is not intuitive and requires experts to interpret the information, much like reading an X-ray.
Simultaneous Syncing:
Traditionally, users have to super-impose datasets from different optical and SAR satellites, which creates alignment challenges because the satellites observe the Earth at different times and from varying angles.
GalaxEye developed proprietary technology to synchronize these differently designed sensors to observe the exact same location simultaneously, removing the need for manual data alignment.
Artificial Intelligence (AI):
When optical sensors are blocked by clouds, the satellite utilizes AI to regenerate clear, optical-like images directly from the SAR data.
Utility:
Traditional space imaging caters to Western countries that have relatively clearer skies and predictable weather.
Drishti is specifically designed to solve the frequent cloud-cover problems experienced in tropical regions like India.
The intuitive, continuous, and all-weather space imagery produced by Drishti will be highly useful for both civilian and military purposes.