India is planning a major expansion of its space-based surveillance capabilities, including the launch of more than 50 spy satellites and the addition of night-time imaging, according to people familiar with the matter. The initiative comes after New Delhi encountered critical surveillance gaps during last year’s border conflict with Pakistan, exposing the limitations of its existing satellite technology and prompting a rapid strategic upgrade.
The Narendra Modi-led government is also exploring the establishment of overseas ground stations to relay satellite data more quickly and comprehensively, the sources said. Potential locations under consideration include the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Scandinavia, although any such plans would require local government approval. The move reflects India’s ambition to improve real-time monitoring and decision-making in border areas and beyond.
To address the limitations of its current satellite fleet, India plans to upgrade its technology from electro-optical radar to synthetic aperture radar, enabling the capture of images in dark or cloudy conditions. This is a crucial enhancement, as India’s existing satellites are unable to provide clear imagery at night or during heavy cloud cover—a capability that Chinese satellites already possess. Officials said the upgrade would also support data transfer between satellites without relying on ground stations, allowing for faster and more resilient surveillance.
The first batch of 52 satellites, part of the Space-Based Surveillance-3 programme, is being fast-tracked to increase the frequency of monitoring in areas of interest, the sources said. The Times of India reported in June that the initial launch could take place as early as April. Earlier this year, India’s space agency ISRO indicated plans to deploy as many as 150 new satellites to bolster border security, with estimated costs of about 260 billion rupees ($2.8 billion), according to comments by ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan reported by Mint.
These developments come as part of India’s broader reassessment of its defence and intelligence capabilities following the May confrontation with Pakistan, described as the worst military clash between the nuclear-armed neighbours in decades. Satellites played a critical role during the four-day showdown, helping identify and monitor targets. However, India faced significant constraints in surveillance coverage and frequency, prompting reliance on satellite data from U.S.-based companies to plan operations.
India currently has more than 100 satellites in orbit, compared to Pakistan’s eight, according to data from spacecraft tracker N2YO.com. Yet the gaps in coverage—particularly at night or during cloudy conditions—were starkly highlighted during Operation Sindoor last year. The proposed new satellite fleet aims to reduce the time required to “sweep” a particular area from days to a matter of hours, officials said.
The plan also includes developing so-called “bodyguard satellites” to detect and counter threats to orbiting spacecraft, part of a broader effort to plug capability gaps in space security. These measures reflect a growing focus on space as a strategic domain, particularly as China expands its own capabilities and supports Pakistan’s satellite coverage, according to a research group under India’s Ministry of Defence.
India’s space agency, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), will use its existing rockets to launch the new surveillance satellites. ISRO has seen mixed results in recent months, with two rocket launch failures within a year, although it successfully placed the BlueBird Block-2 satellite for U.S.-based AST SpaceMobile in December. Private space startups such as Skyroot Aerospace are also expected to play a role in supporting India’s expanding space-based monitoring infrastructure.
India’s Ministry of Defence, ISRO and Narayanan, who also serves as secretary of the Department of Space, did not respond to requests for comment. The plan signals a major shift in India’s strategic posture in space, driven by the lessons of last year’s border conflict and the need to ensure faster, more reliable surveillance in an increasingly contested region.
