India’s ambitious private Earth observation mission, Mission Drishti, has likely been lost in space after an intense geomagnetic solar storm disrupted a critical onboard system, dealing a setback to one of the country’s most innovative space startups while pointing to the growing threat of space weather.
The satellite, developed by Bengaluru-based GalaxEye, was launched on May 3, 2026, aboard a SpaceX rideshare mission. It was the world’s first OptoSAR satellite, designed to combine optical and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imaging in a single spacecraft, enabling it to capture high-resolution images regardless of cloud cover or time of day.
The mission was hailed as a milestone for India’s private space sector, drawing praise from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, government agencies and industry leaders.
It highlighted India’s growing capabilities in developing sovereign Earth observation technologies through private companies.
Following launch, Mission Drishti successfully established communication with ground stations and completed a significant portion of its Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP).
According to GalaxEye, the spacecraft validated several critical systems, including spacecraft deployment, attitude control, onboard computing, communications and mission operations from the company’s Bengaluru-based Mission Control Centre.
However, during the final phase of LEOP, the satellite encountered an anomaly after a powerful geomagnetic solar storm.
Initial investigations suggest that radiation generated during the space weather event likely affected a critical onboard subsystem. Communication with the satellite became intermittent before being completely lost. Although recovery attempts are continuing, the company said the chances of restoring contact are currently low.
Despite the setback, GalaxEye described the mission as a technological success, noting that the spacecraft operated successfully for several weeks and achieved many of its key engineering objectives.
“Mission Drishti marks the culmination of years of innovation, engineering, and execution by our team. While the satellite experienced an anomaly following an extreme space weather event, the mission has provided invaluable engineering insights that will directly strengthen our future missions,” said Suyash Singh, Founder and CEO of GalaxEye.
The company said it will use the lessons from the mission to redesign its next-generation spacecraft. It also plans to bring a larger portion of satellite manufacturing, component sourcing and system integration in-house to improve reliability and quality control.(IT)
