From TCS Job Exit to Space Breakthrough Suyash Singh Builds 155 Crore Startup Behind India’s Historic Satellite Mission

India’s private space sector marked a defining moment on 3 May 2026 when a 190 kilogram satellite named Drishti successfully lifted off aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. This was not just another satellite launch. It carried the world’s first operational OptoSAR hybrid imaging system, a breakthrough that places India in a stronger position in advanced space technology.

At the centre of this achievement is 30 year old entrepreneur Suyash Singh, co founder and CEO of GalaxEye. An IIT Madras alumnus, he has quietly built a company that has now reached a valuation backed by nearly 155 crore rupees in funding. His work has also drawn appreciation at the highest level, including recognition from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The satellite Drishti represents a new generation of Earth observation systems. Its unique OptoSAR technology combines optical imaging and radar sensing into a single system. This allows it to capture clear images of Earth in all weather conditions, during day or night, even when clouds or smoke block traditional optical satellites. This capability is expected to significantly improve disaster monitoring, agriculture mapping and defence surveillance.

Interestingly, Suyash’s journey did not begin in a lab or a space agency but through a series of academic and competitive experiences. After completing mechanical engineering from LNCT, he moved to IIT Madras for a master’s degree in aerospace engineering. It was here that his interest in large scale innovation truly took shape.

During his time at IIT Madras, he founded Avishkar Hyperloop in 2017, India’s first student led hyperloop team. The team went on to become Asia’s only finalist at the SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition held in California in 2019. That experience played a key role in shaping his ability to manage complex engineering projects and work on global platforms.

The idea for GalaxEye was not born out of ambition alone but from a real world problem. In 2018, during devastating wildfires in California, Suyash and his team observed a major limitation in satellite technology. Optical satellites failed due to heavy smoke and cloud cover, while radar based systems produced data that was too complex for general use. This gap inspired a new approach.

To solve this, he brought together his earlier team and began working on a system that could merge both technologies into one unified solution. The goal was simple yet challenging to build a single sensor system capable of delivering reliable Earth imagery under any condition. This idea eventually evolved into GalaxEye and laid the foundation for India’s first hybrid OptoSAR satellite mission.