Indian Startup PierSight Unveils 1st All-Weather Varuna Satellite

New Delhi: Indian space tech startup PierSight on Wednesday announced the Varuna satellite that will deliver 24/7 all-weather maritime surveillance.

The Varuna mission that aims to redefine maritime intelligence with an in-orbit demonstration of groundbreaking imaging technology is the first step by PierSight to establish a constellation of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and Automatic Identification System (AIS) satellites.

The SAR & AIS satellite constellation will provide 100 per cent ocean coverage with up to 30-minute revisit times. Unlike conventional optical satellites, Synthetic Aperture Radars aboard the satellite can see even through cloud cover, extreme weather, and nighttime. This enables PierSight’s dedicated maritime-focused constellation to offer persistent monitoring, a vital tool to accurately track ship movements, detect oil spills, and geo-fencing critical infrastructure such as undersea cables and pipelines.

Developed in an unprecedented nine months, Varuna is equipped with breakthrough technologies, including a SAR system in CubeSAT format and an indigenously developed reflectarray antenna, showcasing the first private SAR satellite in-orbit demonstration from India.