Eye in the Sky

By R Anil Kumar

• ISRO’s “eye in the sky” refers to a suite of satellites that provide critical intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities for the Indian armed forces, enhancing situational awareness and bolstering national defence

• Currently, India operates about 55 satellites and for a country which has a vast border and 7,500 km of shoreline, it is not sufficient: ISRO Chief

Bengaluru. India would add another 100-150 satellites to cover the entire country over the next three years as part of enhancing border security and coastal surveillance, ISRO Chairman V Narayanan said.

Currently, India operates about 55 satellites and for a country which has a vast border and 7,500 km of shoreline, it is not sufficient, he said.

Narayanan, also the Secretary, Department of Space, said it was for these reasons Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced reforms in the Space Sector which allows participation of private players in building rockets and satellites.

“We need a lot of satellites to protect our borders. We have 55 satellites working and it is not sufficient to monitor the border and coastal areas. For that we need more satellites.”

“Through Space Sector reforms we can bring in private players to build satellites and we can handhold them. In three years, we will be adding another 100-150 satellites. With all those satellites we can monitor the country completely,” he said.

Narayanan made this claim on the steps that can be taken by ISRO in the wake of the terrorist attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam in which 26 people lost their lives.

Enhancing Defence Readiness

The satellite constellation will play a pivotal role in real-time intelligence gathering and threat detection. These capabilities are essential in countering advanced threats such as hypersonic missiles, stealth aircraft, drones, and electronic warfare systems.

By monitoring troop concentrations and supply chains along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China and the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan, the satellites will offer critical insights for pre-emptive military planning and crisis response.

In the maritime domain, they will track naval movements, suspicious vessels, piracy, and illegal fishing activities across the IOR, reinforcing India’s maritime domain awareness and regional leadership.

Additionally, the satellites will support secure and redundant communication networks, even in contested or remote theatres of operation. These networks are vital for coordinating joint operations between the Army, Navy, and Air Force, particularly during conflict or humanitarian emergencies.

Detailing some of the projects undertaken by the space agency, he said ISRO successfully performed the second docking of satellites as part of its SpaDeX missions.

India was one of the four nations to achieve it, he said. The others are the US, Russia and China.

ISRO had launched the PSLV-C60/Space Docking Experiment mission on December 30, 2024. Thereafter, the satellites were successfully docked for the first time on January 16 and successfully undocked on March 13, he said. A second docking was done last week.

Further, Narayanan said, scientists were engaged in developing a satellite to study about climate change that would primarily serve the G20 countries.

“About 50 per cent of the payload would be built by India and the remaining would be contributed from the G20 Nations.” he said without elaborating.