Indian space technology startup GalaxEye announced on Tuesday that it has obtained a U.S. patent for a system that coordinates optical and radar sensors on satellites, bolstering its standing in the rapidly expanding Earth imaging data market.
The patent has been granted at a moment when demand for satellite-derived intelligence is rising across sectors such as security, agriculture, insurance, and disaster-response applications.
The global commercial satellite imaging market, valued at $6.55 billion in 2024, is forecast to more than triple to $20.15 billion by 2033, according to research firm SkyQuest Technology.
GalaxEye, which has raised about $21 million to date, said its patent covers a system that synchronizes optical and radar sensors to capture perfectly aligned images of the same area at the same time, ensuring dependable Earth observation data even in cloudy conditions and at night.
The startup, established by engineers from IIT Madras, intends to deploy a constellation of 30 satellites within the next five years, supported by an expanding commercial pipeline serving both domestic and international clients, it stated.
In August, GalaxEye acquired Bengaluru-based spacecraft engineering company StarOps to bolster its internal manufacturing and satellite systems capabilities.
India anticipates that its commercial space sector will reach a value of $44 billion within the next decade and is actively encouraging private firms to invest in this field.
