Spacetech Startup GalaxEye’s Radar Tech Makes Successful Test Flight On High-Altitude Drones

Bengaluru-based spacetech startup GalaxEye has announced a successful test of its synthetic aperture radar (SAR) technology on a subscale high-altitude pseudo-satellite or HAPS, and the startup claims to be the first private entity to have achieved this feat.

For context, the HAPS itself is developed by the National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), while GalaxEye led the SAR trials on this platform.

SAR is a form of radar that can generate two-dimensional or three-dimensional reconstructions of landscapes and other features which can be used for various applications such as defence, meteorology, disaster management and more. 

GalaxEye’s SAR payload was connected to a HAPS satellite, which is a type of UAV that can venture into the Earth’s stratosphere. Put simply, these are drones meant for applications in higher levels of Earth’s atmosphere. 

HAPS can fly for days on end thanks to solar panels. The stratosphere is roughly 12 KM – 50 KM from the earth’s surface. 

SAR feeds can be used to reconstruct all-weather, all-time imaging, overcoming the challenge of cloud cover, which is a barrier for traditional electro-optical cameras.

“The rigorous test flights undertaken have provided invaluable insights, paving the way for further R&D endeavours. Our focus remains on optimising SAR with low SWaP (Size, Weight, and Power) characteristics, unlocking unique phenomenology,” GalaxEye Space CEO and cofounder Suyash Singh said. 

The company also announced that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the NAL to formalise their partnership, and continue the development, integration and testing of SAR payloads. . 

A spokesperson for the National Aerospace Laboratories said, “SAR technology is vital for HAPS, and GalaxEye’s drone-based SAR capabilities show promise for integrating such systems into HAPS. While the initial tests are encouraging, a series of further tests will be necessary before these platforms can be deployed for practical applications. We are positive about the possibilities”

GalaxEye was founded by IIT-Madras alumni Singh, Denil Chawda, Kishan Thakkar, Pranit Mehta, and Rakshit Bhatt in 2021, and claims to have developed India’s First UAV SAR system for defence applications. The startup claims to have completed over 200 successful flights with the UAV SAR payload and has been working on building and launching its own satellite since.

The Bengaluru-based startup has also been working on building and deploying a satellite to primarily cater to general insurance providers, globally, since last year. It had an aim to launch its first-ever satellite in space in the second quarter of the financial year 2023-24 (FY24). 

GalaxEye has raised more than $4 Mn from the likes of Speciale Invest, Anicut Capital, Artha India Ventures, Zerodha’s Nithin Kamath, and EaseMyTrip’s Prashant Pitti.

India’s spacetech sector is bustling with new activity and government policy has encouraged new venture creation. For instance, the GST Council set the launchpad for spacetech startups with 0% GST in July 2023. In 2023 alone, as many as 100 spacetech startups registered with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). 

According to Inc42’s Indian Spacetech Startup Landscape & Market Opportunity Report, the spacetech sector is estimated to reach a market size of $77 Bn by 2030.