May 9, 2026
India’s ambitious Mission Drishti, the world’s first OptoSAR satellite launched just days earlier, has become the subject of intense debate after open-source satellite trackers raised alarms that the spacecraft may be “tumbling” uncontrollably in orbit. The Bengaluru-based startup GalaxEye Space launched the 190 kg satellite on May 3 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from California, aiming to revolutionize Earth observation by fusing Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) with multispectral optical imaging to see through clouds and darkness. However, concerns began surfacing almost immediately after deployment. Citing data from the open-source Satellite Networked Open Ground Station (SatNOGS) , trackers observed fluctuating signal strengths and claimed the satellite was rotating at roughly 3 degrees per second, or one full rotation every two minutes.
One prominent space communication handle, @Astro_Neel, posted on X: “So are we all going to just casually ignore the fact that in the publicly available open-source data, anyone can see that Drishti is still tumbling in orbit… ever since it was deployed?” Another handle, Gareeb Scientist, echoed the concern, stating that the satellite was “potentially tumbling and not stabilised yet,” though they noted they were receiving Telemetry, Tracking, and Command (TTC) signals via omnidirectional antennas. This tumbling rate is significant because satellites generally require a stable orientation to keep antennas pointed at Earth for communication, solar panels facing the sun for power, and cameras fixed on targets. A sustained tumble could jeopardize the mission’s ability to capture high-resolution imagery and maintain a steady data link.
In response to the growing online speculation, GalaxEye founder and CEO Suyash Singh strongly pushed back, urging the space community to exercise patience while the satellite undergoes its critical Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP) . “Love the interest in Drishti. Never saw this level of interest or info floating around on previously launched sats,” Singh wrote on social media. “Hold on buddy, Not everyday these kind of satellites get launched. If something is wrong, we will let the world know. Keep calm.”
Further clarifying the satellite’s status in an interview with ANI, Singh insisted that the mission is progressing exactly as planned, stating definitively: “The satellite is alive and kicking. We’re still in the commissioning phase. It’s all on track.” He suggested that the alarm stems from a misunderstanding of different commissioning strategies, explaining that unlike standard optical satellites that “need to be determined on day one,” Drishti’s unique sensor payload requires a different approach. “People think there are optical satellites… Our satellite is kind of different, so we don’t follow the same strategy effectively,” Singh noted.
The technical complexity of Mission Drishti cannot be overstated; it is not merely another remote-sensing satellite. It represents a massive leap for India’s private space sector, being the largest satellite built by an Indian private player and featuring a unique OptoSAR architecture that combines two distinct imaging modalities into a single operational platform. Traditionally, optical and radar sensors are difficult to pair because they observe at different angles. However, Singh explained the audacity of the engineering: “We were aware of the fact that most of the imaging, even in the highest resolution satellites that exist today, is done at an angle called ONA (Off Nadir Angle) imaging. Radars anyway look at an angle. If I make optical look at the same angle and synchronise them, I will be able to build this particular sensor stack” . This fusion allows the satellite to offer persistent surveillance regardless of weather, a capability with significant implications for defence, maritime monitoring, disaster management, and agriculture.
The speculation over Drishti’s health has been fueled by open-source data analysis. A comparison of SatNOGS observations by India Today noted a distinct change in the signal pattern: an early pass on May 3 showed a strong, steady signal, while a later observation showed the signal “fading in and out” . While trackers argue this fading is due to the antenna periodically pointing away from Earth during a tumble, experts caution that signal fluctuations are not definitive proof of failure. Such variations can also be caused by ground-station conditions, antenna alignment, polarization mismatch, or simply the geometry of the pass. *”Have you ever done a LEOPs of 190 kg SAR-based satellite?”* Singh challenged his critics, reminding them that post-deployment rotation is not uncommon for complex spacecraft with large deployable systems.
The stakes for this mission are extraordinarily high. Apart from the technological prestige, Mission Drishti holds significant strategic value. GalaxEye has signed a landmark reseller agreement with NSIL (NewSpace India Limited) , ISRO’s commercial arm, which will market and sell the satellite’s data globally. This effectively makes GalaxEye the first private Indian satellite operator to utilize the government’s official sales machinery. Looking ahead, the company aims to build a constellation of around 10 satellites within the next few years, which would reduce the revisit time for any location on Earth from several days to just one day. For now, as the commissioning phase continues through the weekend, the world watches to see if this “tumble” is merely a routine maneuver or a sign of trouble for India’s pioneering OptoSAR mission.
