SOURCE: AFI
In a significant push to enhance its military capabilities through space-based assets, India is set to launch 52 dedicated satellites for intelligence gathering, reconnaissance, and surveillance. The announcement was made by Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan during his address at the Indian DefSpace Symposium, held at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses in New Delhi. Organized by the Indian Space Association (ISpA), the symposium brought together key stakeholders from the military, space industry, and policy domains to discuss India’s growing ambitions in the militarization of outer space.
General Chauhan also revealed that a military space doctrine, which will serve as a guiding policy for the armed forces, is expected to be finalized within the next three months, marking a pivotal step in India’s strategic evolution as a space power.
India’s decision to launch 52 satellites dedicated to intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) underscores its recognition of space as a critical domain for national security. These satellites, which will be developed and launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in collaboration with private industry, are expected to significantly enhance the Indian armed forces’ ability to monitor threats, track adversary movements, and gather real-time intelligence across its borders and beyond.
“Space is the ultimate high ground, and we are looking at launching 52 satellites for the purpose of intelligence gathering, reconnaissance, and surveillance,” General Chauhan stated. He emphasized the importance of public-private partnerships in achieving this ambitious goal, noting that ISRO’s collaboration with private industry will be key to scaling up India’s space capabilities. This move aligns with the government’s broader push to liberalize the space sector, encouraging private players to contribute to satellite manufacturing, launch services, and downstream applications.
The 52 satellites are likely to be deployed across multiple orbits, including Low Earth Orbit (LEO), Medium Earth Orbit (MEO), and possibly Geostationary Orbit (GEO), to provide comprehensive coverage and resilience. These satellites will be equipped with advanced sensors, high-resolution imaging systems, and possibly synthetic aperture radar (SAR) capabilities, enabling them to operate in all weather conditions and at all times of day or night. Such capabilities are crucial for monitoring India’s borders with China and Pakistan, tracking maritime activities in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), and countering emerging threats like hypersonic missiles and unmanned aerial systems.
In addition to the satellite launches, General Chauhan announced that a military space doctrine is expected to be finalized within the next three months. This doctrine will serve as a policy framework for the Indian armed forces, outlining the role of space in military operations, the integration of space assets into joint warfare, and the development of counter-space capabilities to protect India’s assets from adversaries.
The formulation of a military space doctrine is a critical step in institutionalizing India’s approach to space as a warfighting domain. It will provide clarity on how the armed forces—particularly the newly established Defence Space Agency (DSA)—will leverage space-based assets for strategic and tactical purposes. The doctrine is also expected to address the growing threat of anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons, space debris, and electronic warfare in space, ensuring that India’s space assets remain secure and operational in a contested environment.
India’s focus on a military space doctrine comes in the wake of its successful ASAT test in March 2019, under Mission Shakti, which demonstrated its ability to destroy a satellite in LEO. This test made India the fourth country in the world—after the United States, Russia, and China—to possess such a capability, signaling its intent to secure its interests in space. The doctrine will build on this foundation, providing a roadmap for the development of offensive and defensive space capabilities, including satellite hardening, space situational awareness (SSA), and potentially the deployment of space-based weapons in the future.
The Indian DefSpace Symposium also featured insights from former Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari (retd), who highlighted the transformative trends in satellite technology. “Satellites are shrinking in size but growing in capability,” he noted. “We are witnessing a strategic shift from large satellites to proliferated and resilient constellations across multiple orbits.”
This shift towards smaller, more capable satellites is a global trend, driven by advancements in miniaturization, artificial intelligence, and propulsion technologies. Small satellites, often weighing less than 500 kilograms, are cheaper to build and launch, making it feasible to deploy large constellations that provide redundancy and resilience. In the event that one satellite is disabled—whether by an ASAT weapon, space debris, or electronic interference—others in the constellation can continue to function, ensuring uninterrupted ISR capabilities.
The proliferation of satellite constellations also enhances India’s ability to monitor dynamic threats in real time. For instance, a constellation of satellites in LEO can provide near-continuous coverage of a specific area, enabling the Indian armed forces to track troop movements, missile launches, or naval deployments with unprecedented accuracy. This capability is particularly important in the context of India’s strategic rivalry with China, which has been rapidly expanding its own space-based ISR assets, including the Yaogan series of reconnaissance satellites.
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