Defence Space Agency building up its muscle
Two phases of space based surveillance for the fledgling Defence Space Agency have been completed and consolidated. India is currently using three dedicated satellites for strategic use.
The Indian Navy has ordered the GSAT-7R satellite to replace the current GSAT-7. The GSAT-7B, a dedicated satellite for the Indian Army, is also being developed to enhance surveillance in border areas and provide secure communication capabilities.
Now under the third phase of India’s space-based surveillance (SBS-3) program, the first batch of satellites should be launched by 2027-28. A total of 52 satellites will be launched as part of this program. This initiative aims to boost India’s ability to monitor its areas of interest from space continuously.
The program includes 52 satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and Geostationary Orbit (GEO) for comprehensive surveillance. The new satellites will use artificial intelligence (AI) to interact with each other in space for better geo-intelligence. For example, a satellite in GEO can request a satellite in LEO to take a closer look at something.
For the first time, the private sector will play a significant role, with 31 satellites being manufactured by private firms, while the remaining 21 will come from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
The satellites will enhance surveillance capabilities, providing round-the-clock monitoring, unaffected by weather or time of day, and will be able to track moving assets, including naval warships and mobile missile launchers.
The program has a budget of ₹27,000 crore. ISRO is expected to partner with France to develop some of the surveillance satellites. The Defence Space Agency (DSA) will control the newly launched satellites and is expected to next establish launch-on-demand capability.
This should be followed by establishing other defensive / offensive space based capabilities. Once these are in place the Defence Space Agency is likely to be upgraded into a full Aerospace Command.
