Team: PierSight
Mission: Varuna
Objective
Conduct a full in-orbit demonstration (IOD) of a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) on a CubeSat, including the following subsystem-level objectives:
- Studying the deployable reflectarray antenna
- Testing the majority of the SAR electronics
- Testing the Electronic Power Conditioner (EPC)
- Test pre-driver stage of high-efficiency solid-state power amplifier and other components in Radar Transmit receive chain
- Qualify the X-band radio for data downlink
Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 9 will be achieved for all subsystems on completion of the mission.
Mission plan
The mission plan is structured to ensure the thorough testing and validation of the systems and subsystems:
- POEM platform operational – once ISRO’s POEM platform is activated, Varuna will begin its mission by activating the power systems
- Subsystem testing in Loopback Mode – the satellite is initially tested in loopback mode to verify the functionality of its onboard subsystems in orbit
- Reflectarray antenna deployment – the reflectarray antenna will then be deployed and recorded on a camera to ensure proper functioning and to document the process
- Electronics testing – after antenna deployment, the mission tests the SAR electronics in conjunction with the antenna
- Radiation testing – the satellite will then transmit a signal to a ground station to assess the strength and fidelity of the received signal. This is the first major test of its radiation capabilities
- Telemetry and Loopback tests – results from the radiation test will be communicated via telemetry and downlinked to the ground station. Further loopback tests are conducted, serving as an internal health check for all radar subsystems
About the team
PierSight was founded by Gaurav Seth and Vinit Bansal.
Gaurav Seth was previously at ISRO for 9 years where he built SAR systems for several Earth Observation and interplanetary missions.
Vinit Bansal worked at National Instruments for 9 years, working closely with ISRO and the Ministry of Defence (India) on the prototyping and commercialization of space and defence technologies.
Team PierSight with Shri Rajeev Jyoti, Director, Technical Directorate, IN-SPACe.
Together they’ve built a world-class team of 30 engineers, many of whom have worked at prominent institutions and companies such as ISRO, MathWorks, and Huawei.
PierSight has raised $6.6 million across pre-seed and seed rounds from Alpha Wave Global, Elevation Capital, Techstars, All In Capital and angels including Andreas Klinger.
How satsearch is being used in this mission
The team explained that; as the leading platform for connecting with trusted suppliers in the space industry, satsearch was PierSight’s go-to platform for identifying vendors for thermal interfaces, communication antennas, and batteries.
More about Varuna
Varuna is an in-orbit demonstration of a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) in a CubeSAT form factor.
Equipped with seven advanced subsystems, Varuna is meticulously engineered to tackle the challenges of space.
This mission marks PierSight’s initial step toward establishing a constellation of SAR and Automatic Identification System (AIS) satellites, aiming to provide persistent, near-real-time monitoring of all human and industrial activity at sea.
Next steps
We’d like to wish the best of luck to PierSight for the next stage in the Varuna mission – and we’re pleased to have played a role in bringing it forward – you can stay up to date on their progress here.
To find out more about how we can help execute your mission plan more efficiently in 2025 and beyond – take a look at the useful resources below:
- Accelerating space missions
- Optimizing trade studies
- Satsearch for systems engineers
- The space engineering resource hub
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