Defence tech startup Sisir Radar to launch India’s first private L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite by 2026

Spacetech startup Sisir Radar is set to launch India’s first L-band private Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite by 2026. The satellite will be indigenously designed and built to provide high-resolution images catering to defence, intelligence, and commercial applications.

It has raised  $7 million in its Series A funding round led by 360 ONE Asset, along with Shastra VC.

India’s first L-band SAR

Designed, engineered and built in India, the SAR satellite is expected to deliver high-resolution, all-weather imagery for national security, environmental monitoring, urban planning and disaster management.

 Sisir Radar’s L-band SAR can deliver 0.75 metre resolution, while its P-band SAR offers 2.5 metre resolution, which it says is significantly sharper than most global systems in these frequency bands.

The space tech startup has already won two iDEX challenges to build specialised SAR satellites for the Indian Air Force and is working with defence and industrial partners on surveillance and detection use cases.

With the funding round, the company plans to move from prototypes to full-scale orbital missions and develop its research and engineering teams.

According to a company statement, it aims to deliver real-time, high-resolution imagery through dense foliage, adverse weather and complete darkness, positioning India in the global market for privately launched SAR satellites.

About Sisir Radar

Founded in 2022 by former Director of ISRO, Dr Tapan Misra, and ex-Summachar cofounders Soumya Misra and Urmi Bhambhani, the defence tech startup has developed cutting-edge SAR systems for air-borne and space-borne platforms operating in P/L/S/C/X satellite frequency bands.

Indian scientist Misra was the Director of Space Applications Centre and Physical Research Laboratory in ISRO, and later became Senior Advisor to the organisation’s Chairman.

Sisir Radar began manufacturing Synthetic Aperture Radars (SAR), a technology pioneered by Misra at ISRO, for drones and satellites.

Mentioning the need for advanced imaging technologies, Misra said, “While the private sector across the world focuses on X-band SAR, India’s geographical nuances require the ability to not just see through clouds but also through vegetation for any meaningful application, be it military or civilian. This requires lower frequencies like L and P bands where, conventionally, getting high resolution is challenging but high resolution is imperative. This is what we have cracked for L and P bands. The level of SAR technology that we are building positions us in the same playing field as space agencies of top spacefaring nations. We are setting new benchmarks for what the private sector can achieve in space globally.”

Also read: Wakefit Innovations Ltd IPO debuts flat at IPO price on NSE at ₹195 (startuppedia.in)