India is moving swiftly to strengthen its space-based intelligence and monitoring capabilities after weaknesses were exposed during last year’s border confrontation with Pakistan, according to individuals familiar with the matter.
New Delhi is preparing to deploy more than 50 dedicated surveillance satellites in the near term, with plans ultimately extending to as many as 150 new spacecraft to reinforce border security and strategic awareness. The initiative follows operational gaps identified during the conflict, when India faced limitations in continuous satellite coverage.
The government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is also considering the establishment of overseas ground stations to speed up the transmission and processing of satellite data. Potential locations under consideration include parts of the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Northern Europe, although such facilities would require host-country approval.
Shift to Advanced Imaging Technology
India is upgrading its satellite fleet to improve performance in low-light and adverse weather conditions. This involves transitioning from conventional electro-optical systems to synthetic aperture radar (SAR), which allows imaging through clouds and darkness. Additional enhancements are being developed to enable direct data sharing between satellites, reducing reliance on ground-based relay stations.
The first phase of the programme, known as Space-Based Surveillance-3, involves the rapid deployment of 52 satellites designed to monitor priority areas with far greater frequency than existing systems permit. Indian media reports suggest the initial launches could begin as early as April.
According to earlier statements by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman V. Narayanan, the full satellite rollout could cost approximately ₹26,000 crore (around $2.8 billion).
Strategic Lessons from Conflict
These measures reflect lessons drawn from the most serious military standoff between the two nuclear-armed neighbours in decades. During the confrontation, satellites played a central role in target identification and battlefield monitoring. Indian defence analysts have previously indicated that China assisted Pakistan during the crisis by helping it optimise satellite coverage.
India is also exploring the development of “bodyguard satellites,” spacecraft designed to detect and respond to threats against vital orbital assets, aimed at closing remaining capability gaps in space security.
Capability Gaps and Regional Comparison
India currently operates over 100 satellites, compared with fewer than ten in Pakistan’s fleet, according to independent satellite tracking data. However, Indian systems have been constrained by their inability to collect imagery at night or through heavy cloud cover, a limitation highlighted during last year’s operations.
Because of these shortcomings, India reportedly had to purchase satellite intelligence from US-based commercial providers to support military planning. With the new satellites in place, the revisit time over key locations could be reduced from several days to just a few hours.
Launch Capacity and Private Sector Role
ISRO plans to rely on its existing launch vehicles for the surveillance programme, despite experiencing mixed results recently, including a rocket failure earlier this month, the second in under a year. At the same time, the agency has achieved notable successes, such as the December launch of the BlueBird Block-2 satellite for US firm AST SpaceMobile.
Private aerospace companies, including Skyroot Aerospace, are also contributing to India’s broader effort to enhance space-based monitoring and reduce pressure on state-led programmes.
India’s defence ministry and ISRO have not publicly commented on the latest developments.
Written by:
*Dr Iqbal Survé
Past chairman of the BRICS Business Council and co-chairman of the BRICS Media Forum and the BRNN
*Cole Jackson
Lead Associate at BRICS+ Consulting Group
Chinese & South America Specialist
**The Views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of Independent Media or .
