Space startup GalaxEye, started by IIT Madras alumni, eyes private satellite launch in 2025

Chennai: Pranit Mehta, co-founder of space sector startup GalaxEye, who along with other four of his team members spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Mann Ki Baat radio programme on Sunday, said they intend to launch their own constellation of satellites next year.

Interacting with the prime minister, the five IIT Madras alumni -- Suyash, Daniel, Rakshit, Kishan and Praneet, said this was the opportunity to tap into the space sector, given the country growing at a fastest rate which which came various new opportunities.

Among various space sector policies and reforms, the government opened up space sector to private companies in 2020 in a landmark decision.

GalaxEye is a startup spun out of IIT Madras by its alumni members, founded in 2021. As part of the startup, they have built a sensor that can actually penetrate through clouds, solving several India-specific problems.

GalaxEye is able to provide imagery even during cloudy weather and night time, which the co-founder claimed as their "strongest technology".

Pranit, talking to ANI later, said the prime minister and the government's interest in the space sector, has pushed them to foray into this domain.

"We know that this is a growing sector and a priority for the government. I think as a startup, as a team, we are all extremely, even more bummed up," Pranit told ANI.

Asked about GalaxEye's short-term and long-term goal, Pranit said, "Now, what we intend to do is put up our own constellation of satellites. So, ISRO has been putting satellites for the last several decades now and with the privatization, we want to take that journey one step ahead."

"We are putting the largest private satellite for India and this is something that will be launched next year," Pranit added.

The startup cofounder commended the government's support in the space sector.

"For instance, the privatization, allowing companies to own and operate satellites in a much more independent way. Second, bodies like InSpace being formed that help facilitate the interactions between ISRO and startups. Because as a startup, we don't have all know-how and facilities that a body like ISRO has. So we have a lot of such reforms that we can engage with ISRO and get their advice and guidance in what we are doing," he asserted.

In 2023, in a stellar display of prowess, India soared to new heights with the successful soft landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the South Pole of the Moon and the successful launch of Aditya-L1, India's first solar mission.

These milestones not only secured India's standing in the global space economy but also fueled the engines for the private space sector in India.

Among other feats, India now aims to set up 'Bharatiya Antariksha Station' by 2035, and send the first Indian to the Moon by 2040.

Indian space startups have become a strong pillar for the private space industry in the last decade, especially after the landmark move to open the Indian space sector to private companies in 2020.

India is now preparing for its ambitious Gaganyaan mission, envisaging demonstration of human space capabilities by launching a crew of astronauts into an orbit and then bringing back these human astronauts safely to earth by landing them in India's sea waters.

A woman robot astronaut "Vyommitra" will fly into space ahead of ISRO's ambitious Gaganyaan mission, which will be India's first human manned space flight carrying Indian astronauts into space.

The pre-cursor Vyommitra mission was scheduled this year while a manned mission Gaganyaan scheduled for launch in 2025, the government had said earlier.