Mention salient features of ‘Mission Drishti’. Discuss the imaging techniques used in the satellite launched on 3rd May 2026. Why it is being considered world’s first satellite of its kind ?
Approach · directive: “mention / discuss / why”
What it asks · Describe GalaxEye's Mission Drishti, explain its combined optical and radar imaging, and say why it is called the world's first satellite of its kind.
The question has 3 parts — answer each
- Mention the salient features of Mission Drishti
- Discuss the imaging techniques used in the satellite launched on 3 May 2026: optical, synthetic aperture radar and their fusion
- Why it is considered the world's first satellite of its kind
Open with · Launched on 3 May 2026, Drishti, built by the Bengaluru startup GalaxEye, is India's largest privately built satellite and the world's first OptoSAR Earth-observation satellite.
Cover
- Salient features: privately built Indian Earth-observation satellite, product of the space-sector reforms (IN-SPACe, Indian Space Policy 2023); a small satellite carrying two very different sensors.
- Optical (multispectral) imaging: passive sensors record reflected sunlight in several bands — detailed, easy to read, but blind at night and under clouds.
- Synthetic aperture radar: active microwave sensor that sees through clouds, smoke and darkness, recording surface texture, moisture and deformation.
- Fusion: both sensors image the same scene together, and the data are fused into one product, avoiding the mismatch of combining different satellites.
- Why first: earlier missions carried either optical or radar payloads, or flew them on separate satellites; combining both in one spacecraft is new.
- Applications: all-weather surveillance of borders and seas, floods and disasters, crop and insurance assessment, infrastructure and urban change.
- Significance: data sovereignty, growth of the private space economy and exports; challenges of funding, data policy and launch dependence.
Close with · Drishti shows India's private space sector moving from launch services to frontier sensing technology.
Add value (verified)
- The Prime Minister described Drishti as the world's first OptoSAR satellite and the largest privately built satellite in India. PIB — PM congratulates GalaxEye on Mission Drishti (3 May 2026) ↗“the successful launch of the world’s first OptoSAR satellite and the largest privately-built satellite in India is a testament to the youth’s passion for innovation and nation-building”
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2026, GS Paper III — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer · 283 words (UPSC limit 250) · Minimalist IAS
Launched on 3 May 2026, Drishti, built by the Bengaluru startup GalaxEye, is India's largest privately built satellite and the world's first OptoSAR Earth-observation satellite.
Salient features of Mission Drishti
- A privately built Indian Earth-observation satellite, made possible by the space-sector reforms: IN-SPACe as the single-window agency for private players and the Indian Space Policy 2023.
- A small satellite carrying two very different sensors, an optical multispectral camera and a synthetic aperture radar, on one platform.
- Purpose: all-weather, day-and-night imagery for security, agriculture, disasters and infrastructure, with the data sovereignty of an Indian-owned satellite.
Imaging techniques
- Optical (multispectral) imaging: passive sensors record sunlight reflected in several bands; images are detailed and easy to interpret but blind at night and under cloud.
- Synthetic aperture radar: an active sensor transmits microwave pulses and builds a high-resolution image from the echoes as the satellite moves; it sees through cloud, smoke and darkness and captures surface texture, moisture and deformation.
- Fusion: both sensors image the same scene at the same time, and the data are merged into one product, avoiding the time and geometry mismatch of combining images from different satellites.
Why the world's first
- Earlier missions carried either an optical or a radar payload, or flew them on separate satellites; Drishti is the first to combine both in one spacecraft with fusion at source, the 'OptoSAR' design the Prime Minister cited.
Applications and significance
- Uses: border and maritime surveillance, flood and disaster mapping, crop and insurance assessment, urban and infrastructure change.
- Significance: data sovereignty, a growing private space economy and export potential; challenges of funding, data policy and dependence on launch slots.
Drishti shows India's private space sector moving from launch services to frontier sensing technology.
Written by Minimalist IAS from facts checked at source (how we verify) — a little fuller than exam length, so every part of the question is covered; in the hall, keep the structure and trim the detail. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.