Prime Minister congratulates GalaxEye on the successful launch of Mission Drishti

📌 Summary:

• GalaxEye, an Indian private space startup, successfully launched Mission Drishti — marking a landmark in India's private space sector

• The satellite is the world's first OptoSAR satellite — combining optical and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imaging in a single platform

• It is also the largest privately-built satellite in India, demonstrating the growing capability of Indian private space companies

• PM Modi congratulated the GalaxEye team, calling it "a testament to our youth's passion for innovation and nation-building"

• OptoSAR technology allows all-weather, day-and-night Earth observation, with applications in agriculture monitoring, disaster response, defence reconnaissance, and urban planning

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS3 — Science & Technology; India's space privatization under IN-SPACe framework; indigenization and private sector participation in space

📝 Prelims Facts:

• GalaxEye is an Indian private space technology company

• Mission Drishti carries the world's first OptoSAR (Optical + SAR) satellite

• It is the largest privately-built satellite launched from India

• IN-SPACe (Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre) regulates private space entities in India

🔑 Key Term: OptoSAR — A hybrid Earth observation satellite that integrates optical imaging (visible light) and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) in a single platform, enabling imaging under clouds, at night, and in all weather conditions