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EON Space Labs engineered one of India’s most advanced miniature satellites, only to see it lost when the PSLV-C62 rocket failed during launch on January 12, 2026. The MIRA multispectral imaging system, despite never reaching orbit, represents a watershed moment in Indian private space innovation and demonstrates the technical maturity of the nation’s emerging commercial space industry.
Breakthrough in Miniaturization
Weighing merely 502 grams, MIRA redefined what compact Earth observation technology could achieve. Engineers constructed the entire optical system from a single piece of fused silica, creating structural integrity that would resist the temperature extremes of space while maintaining precision imaging. This approach eliminated traditional assembly joints where failures often originate.
The payload packed nine distinct imaging bands into its diminutive frame, achieving resolution capabilities that typically require equipment many times larger. Ground testing confirmed the system met NASA’s rigorous space grade requirements, validating both the design philosophy and manufacturing precision.
Intelligence at the Edge
MIRA’s most ambitious feature involved processing capabilities that would have revolutionized satellite data delivery. Rather than beaming raw images to ground stations for analysis, the system incorporated artificial intelligence processors designed to interpret imagery in orbit. This architecture would have transmitted refined intelligence products instead of massive data files, dramatically accelerating response times for urgent applications.
Emergency responders tracking natural disasters, agricultural specialists monitoring crop health, and urban planners analyzing infrastructure could have received analyzed data within minutes of capture. The shift from downloading imagery to receiving immediate insights represented a fundamental reimagining of Earth observation workflows.
Space Computing as a Service
Through partnership with TakeMe2Space on the MOI-1 satellite platform, EON Space Labs pioneered a novel business model. Organizations could have deployed their own algorithms on orbital hardware without investing in dedicated spacecraft. This “laboratory in space” concept treated satellite computing like cloud services, renting capacity rather than purchasing infrastructure.
Mission Failure and Future Prospects
The rocket’s third stage experienced pressure loss that prevented proper thrust generation, causing trajectory deviation that doomed the mission. ISRO’s investigation into the anomaly will strengthen future launch reliability.
While MIRA never collected its first image, the engineering advances achieved during development survive. The techniques for ultra lightweight construction, integrated AI processing, and miniaturized multispectral systems will inform subsequent projects. India’s commercial space sector demonstrated technical sophistication that positions it competitively in global markets, even as this particular mission reminds us that spaceflight remains unforgiving of even minor failures.
