On May 3, 2026, a 190kg satellite named Drishti flew through the skies aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, marking a historic milestone for India’s private space sector. Drishti’s launch was no ordinary achievement – it carries the world’s first operational OptoSAR hybrid sensor in a spacecraft. The breakthrough technology fuses optical and radar imaging to deliver all-weather, day-and-night vision of the planet.
Behind this achievement stands Suyash Singh, the CEO and co-founder of GalaxEye, the deep-tech startup that built and deployed it. From the classrooms of IIT Madras to the command of one of Asia’s most ambitious space ventures, the 30-year-old Suyash Singh has emerged as a leading figure in India’s new-generation space entrepreneurship.
A peek into the early years of Suyash Singh
Suyash’s journey began with a degree in Mechanical Engineering from LNCT, followed by a Master’s in Aerospace Engineering at IIT Madras. It was during his time at IIT that his leadership potential became evident. In 2017, he founded Avishkar Hyperloop, India’s first student Hyperloop team.
Under his guidance, the team became the only Asian finalist at the 2019 SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition in California. The intense experience of managing complex hardware, processing massive datasets under extreme deadlines, and competing on the global stage proved formative.
Prior to Avishkar Hyperloop, Singh worked as a data analyst for TCS for almost four years and later returned to the IT firm as a Machine Vision Researcher working on building an architecture for a satellite-based platform.
GalaxEye: How its creation happened
The idea for GalaxEye came not from abstract ambition but from a practical frustration. While studying the 2018 California wildfires, Suyash and his colleagues noticed a glaring limitation in existing Earth observation technology – optical satellites were rendered useless by smoke and clouds, while radar satellites produced data that was technically rich but difficult for most users to interpret.
Instead of choosing one over the other, Suyash decided to combine both. He reunited his core Avishkar Hyperloop team — Denil Chawda, Kishan Thakkar, Pranit Mehta, and Rakshit Bhatt. He then set out to build a single satellite sensor capable of delivering high-resolution, easy-to-use imagery regardless of weather or time of day.
Mission Drishti kicked off
Unlike conventional satellites that carry either optical or SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) sensors, Drishti’s hybrid OptoSAR system offers the advantages of both simultaneously, producing clear, photograph-like images even through clouds or at night.
The mission was executed with remarkable speed. While typical satellite projects take 5–7 years, GalaxEye moved from concept to orbit in significantly less time through tight “SyncFused” hardware-software integration, indigenous intellectual property, and close collaboration with ISRO and IN-SPACe.
Building a deep-tech powerhouse
To date, GalaxEye has raised approximately $18.8 million (over Rs 155 crore) from prominent investors, including Infosys, Speciale Invest, and Mela Ventures. With Drishti now in orbit, the company is expected to commercialise high-frequency Earth observation data for defence, insurance, disaster management, and climate monitoring sectors worldwide.
However, Suyash’s personal net worth remains private, which is common for founders of early-stage deep-tech companies.
Recognised by PM Modi
In a rare recognition for a young founder, Suyash Singh was recently featured in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Mann Ki Baat episode 133rd on August 2024 address. The Prime Minister praised Suyash and his team as creators of “New India” — young engineers who are unafraid to tackle global challenges.