OptoSAR is a hybrid satellite imaging technology that combines optical imaging and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) on one platform to capture Earth’s surface
- It is associated with GalaxEye’s Mission Drishti, described as the world’s first OptoSAR satellite.
- Optical sensors give clear, color-rich images, but they are affected by clouds and darkness.
- SAR can image through clouds and at night, but its output is harder to interpret.
- OptoSAR fuses both data streams to produce more usable, analysis-ready imagery.
Significance
- It enables day-and-night, all-weather Earth observation.
- It is useful for disaster response, flood mapping, agriculture monitoring, border surveillance, coastal monitoring, and infrastructure planning.
- The fusion approach reduces the gap between visual clarity and weather independence
Source: The Hindu