Bengaluru‑based space‑tech firm GalaxEye announced on Tuesday that it has lost communication with its Earth‑observation satellite, Mission Drishti, after the spacecraft experienced an anomaly linked to a recent geomagnetic solar storm.
The company said the satellite, launched in early 2025 to provide high‑resolution imagery for agriculture, infrastructure monitoring and disaster management, was operating normally until the solar event on Monday triggered intense charged‑particle fluxes in low‑Earth orbit. GalaxEye’s engineers detected a sudden drop in telemetry and have been unable to re‑establish a command link despite multiple ground‑station attempts.
“Mission Drishti was a critical component of India’s emerging commercial remote‑sensing sector,” said GalaxEye CEO Ananya Rao in a statement. “The solar storm created conditions beyond our design envelope, and we are now conducting a full failure analysis. Our team is already working on a replacement platform, and we remain committed to delivering the services our customers expect.”
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) confirmed that geomagnetic storms can increase the risk of satellite anomalies, particularly for low‑altitude platforms lacking hardened shielding. ISRO spokesperson Dr Sanjay Mehta noted that “solar‑induced radiation can disrupt onboard electronics and communication systems, and operators worldwide are monitoring the situation closely.”
Industry analysts said the incident underscores the challenges faced by private Indian satellite operators, who often rely on limited budgets for radiation hardening compared with larger government programmes. “GalaxEye’s experience highlights the trade‑off between rapid market entry and resilience to space weather,” wrote Anil Sharma, senior analyst at SpaceInsights, in a commentary cited by the outlet.
As of the latest update, GalaxEye has not provided a timeline for a potential launch of a replacement satellite. The company’s customers, including several state agriculture departments and infrastructure firms, have been advised that data services will be temporarily unavailable.
The incident arrives amid a broader uptick in solar activity predicted for the next six months, prompting satellite operators globally to review risk mitigation strategies.
Analysis:
The loss of Mission Drishti illustrates the vulnerability of commercial low‑Earth‑orbit assets to space‑weather events, a risk that may become more pronounced as solar cycles intensify. While GalaxEye’s rapid public acknowledgment and pledge to rebuild signal resilience, the episode may prompt regulatory bodies in India to revisit standards for radiation protection in privately funded satellites. Additionally, the disruption could affect sectors that have begun to depend on near‑real‑time imagery, potentially slowing adoption of data‑driven decision‑making in agriculture and infrastructure monitoring.
Sources
– NDTV, “Sun knocks out surveillance satellite, Bengaluru startup vows comeback,” https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/sun-knocks-out-surveillance-satellite-bengaluru-startup-vows-comeback-11739720#publisher=newsstand
Story synopsis gathered from: NDTV – India News — source
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