Consolidation is arriving in India’s private satellite sector. Earth observation startup GalaxEye has bought StarOps, a spacecraft engineering company, to bring more satellite production in-house rather than lean on outside suppliers.
StarOps emerged from TeamIndus, the early Indian private space venture behind a lunar lander and rover effort. Its engineers have built satellite buses in the 50 kg, 150 kg and 250 kg classes, with over 66% of systems indigenised, plus expertise in propulsion, avionics, flight computing, guidance and mission operations.
GalaxEye’s OptoSAR satellites pair synthetic aperture radar with optical imaging to see through clouds and at night. Controlling the full build process can shorten schedules and improve design flexibility for a startup racing to deploy its constellation.
The purchase comes as India throws open its space sector, permitting up to 100% foreign direct investment in satellite manufacturing and backing a public-private Earth observation constellation. “Together, we are building a company capable of designing, engineering and operating advanced space systems from India for the world,” said co-founder and CEO Suyash Singh.
Terms were not revealed. The deal is another sign that India’s private space players are shifting from launch milestones toward full-stack consolidation.
