India Fast-Tracks 52 Defence Satellites to Boost Border Security and Surveillance
In a significant leap towards enhancing its defence surveillance capabilities, India has fast-tracked the launch of 52 military satellites under a ₹26,968 crore project aimed at strengthening national security and boosting real-time border monitoring. The ambitious mission is part of Phase 3 of the Space-Based Surveillance (SBS) programme, which comes in response to growing security challenges from China and Pakistan, and the increasing militarization of space.
The constellation of satellites is designed to provide real-time, high-resolution imagery and reduced revisit times, enabling the Indian armed forces to monitor sensitive regions—including deep within adversarial territories. This will significantly improve India’s ability to detect and respond to potential threats, particularly in contested zones along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and the Line of Control (LoC), as well as in the strategically critical Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
According to the plan, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch 21 satellites, while three private Indian firms will be responsible for building and launching the remaining 31 satellites. The first launch is scheduled for April 2026, with full deployment expected by the end of 2029. This effort also underscores the growing participation of the private sector in India’s strategic space missions.
A major milestone in this project will be the transfer of Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) technology to private industry, enabling rapid satellite launches during crises or emergencies. The involvement of private firms is expected to accelerate production, improve flexibility, and add redundancy in launch capabilities.
Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff, emphasized the critical need for proactive threat detection. “We must detect, identify and track potential threats not when they approach our borders, but when they are still in their staging areas, airfields and bases, deep within an adversary’s territory,” he said. The Integrated Defence Staff (IDS) is leading the project and is coordinating the deployment of both low Earth orbit (LEO) and geostationary orbit (GEO) satellites.
The initiative also acts as a countermeasure to China’s expanding anti-satellite capabilities, including kinetic weapons and electronic warfare tools, which have emerged as significant threats to India’s space assets. The network of satellites is not only a strategic asset but also a powerful deterrent in the modern battlefield environment.
The push for enhanced surveillance follows the success of Operation Sindoor, where indigenous and commercial satellite tracking played a key role in real-time situational awareness. The operation demonstrated the value of space-based assets in national defence, further justifying India’s move to scale up its orbital capabilities rapidly.
With geopolitical tensions on the rise and space becoming a new frontier for military operations, India’s satellite initiative represents a bold step in ensuring its borders and interests remain protected—on land, sea, and now, firmly in space.
IT.
