Mar 5: 677 new COVID-19 cases in Karnataka, 4 deaths
Bengaluru, Mar 5: Karnataka reported 677 new COVID-19 cases and four related fatalities, taking the total number of infections to 9.53 lakh and the toll to 12,354, the Health department said on Friday.
The day also saw 427 patients getting discharged after recovery.
Bengaluru Urban accounted for 444 of the total number of cases.
Cumulatively 9,53,813 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state, which includes 12,354 deaths and 9,35,066 discharges, the Health department said in a bulletin.
Out of 6,374 active cases, 6,262 patients are stable and in isolation at designated hospitals, while 112 are in Intensive Care Units.
Bengaluru Urban also accounted for two deaths, the others being reported from Bidar and Chikkaballapura.
Kalaburagi followed Bengaluru Urban in number of cases at 37, Tumakuru 28, Mysuru 23, Udupi 22, Dakshina Kannada 20, followed by others.
Bengaluru Urban district topped the list of positive cases, with a total of 4,07,269, followed by Mysuru 54,182 and Ballari 39,303.
Among discharges too, Bengaluru Urban headed the list with 3,98,183, followed by Mysuru 52,986 and Ballari 38,627.
A total of over 1,91,46,913 samples have been tested so far, out of which 78,807 were tested on Friday alone.
Today's Media Bulletin 05/03/2021
— K'taka Health Dept (@DHFWKA) March 5, 2021
Please click on the link below to view bulletinhttps://t.co/mu9vPeZhxm@PMOIndia @narendramodi @CMofKarnataka @BSYBJP @MoHFW_INDIA @drharshvardhan @mla_sudhakar @Comm_dhfwka @MDNHM_Kar @CovidIndiaSeva @KarnatakaVarthe @PIBBengaluru pic.twitter.com/XxktAb8EfW
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Indian startup's 'Drishti' satellite launched aboard SpaceX rocket
New Delhi (PTI): Bengaluru-based space start-up GalaxEye's Mission Drishti satellite was launched on Sunday aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket from California.
Mission Drishti is the world's first OptoSAR satellite, integrating electro-optical (EO) and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensors into a single operational platform, according to the company.
While EO sensors capture high-resolution images during sunlight and clear skies, SAR sensors provide all-weather and all-time images, using radar pulses.
In a statement, Suyash Singh, founder and CEO of GalaxEye, said, "With the satellite (Mission Drishti) now successfully in orbit, our immediate focus is on completing its commissioning. As we move through this phase, we are already witnessing strong global interest in the differentiated datasets enabled by our OptoSAR payload."
The satellite will help address long-standing limitations of conventional systems and enable more reliable and consistent data acquisition across diverse environmental conditions, the company said.
As a dual-use Earth observation satellite, the mission will support use cases across defence, agriculture, disaster management, maritime monitoring, and infrastructure planning.
The satellite is also expected to complement India's broader initiatives, including the 29 active Earth Observation satellites outlined in ISRO's recent annual report.
The launch came after five years of indigenous research and development, and extensive environmental testing and performance validation of the Mission Drishti.
In a statement, Lt Gen AK Bhatt (Retd), director general of Indian Space Association (ISpA), said, "GalaxEye has achieved what only a few global players have, which is seamlessly combining optical and SAR capabilities on a single platform to enable persistent, all-weather intelligence."
What stands out is not just the technology, but its broader impact on how downstream applications will increasingly define value in the space economy, particularly in Earth observation, where timely, decision-grade insights are critical," he added.
ISpA is the premier industry association of space and satellite companies in the country.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh also took note of the Mission Drishti launch, saying the development marked a significant milestone in India's space journey.
In a post on X, the minister said, "The successful launch of the world's first OptoSAR satellite, and the largest privately-built satellite in the country, reflects the immense potential of our young innovators driving nation-building."
GalaxEye aims to scale up Mission Drishti to a constellation of 10 satellites by 2030, developing a robust and sovereign Earth observation infrastructure for India.
