In April, the announcement of the Indian Space Policy 2023 made the space available for private sectors. Banking on this, Erisha Space, a space technology company has announced its plan to launch a satellite equipping AI-based image processing capabilities for environmental analysis and sustainable development.

The satellite, set to be launched in 2024, will boost the company’s remote vision capabilities by GIS and photogrammetry in various domains.

Founded in 2022 in New Delhi and operating out of Bengaluru, the company has been leveraging multi-mission satellite sensors, ground instruments, SCADA, and socio-economic data to develop mathematical models for tracking and monitoring large-scale changes in the environment for tackling climate change.

Darshan Rana, managing director of Erisha Space and head of the parent company Rana Group said, “We aim to bring about effective planning and monitoring of national missions through space-based geospatial support.”

The satellite, equipped with image processing capabilities, will be able to provide insights for agro-economic, topographic mapping, infrastructure planning, deforestation, city planning, and environmental impact assessment. 

Debaddatta Mishra, director of Erisha Space has also worked as a senior scientist at ISRO. He further announced that the company is developing an SSLV by the year 2026 with a payload capacity of 1,000 kilograms in lower earth orbit. 

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India has been taking steps to make the space more accessible for everyone, including big-tech and startups. The Indian government also planned to allow 100% foreign direct investment (FDI) in the space sector, paving the way for big-tech companies to invest in India. 

Earlier, all the contribution in the space industry in India was done by ISRO. But now with private players like Bellatrix Aerospace, Skyroot Aerospace, and now Erisha Space, the hopes for space technology in India have launched.