India is embarking on an ambitious plan to expand its defence satellite constellation from the current 12 operational platforms to 78 by 2031, marking one of the most significant leaps in its military space capabilities.

This expansion, shaped by the operational challenges experienced during Operation Sindoor, will give India a decisive edge in intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR), communications, navigation, and electronic intelligence gathering.

The vision behind this initiative is not only to strengthen national security but also to embed space-based assets at the core of joint operations across the armed forces.

The expansion is being implemented under the $3.2 billion Satellite-Based Surveillance (SBS-III) program, structured as a public–private partnership between the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the Defence Space Agency (DSA), and emerging private sector space enterprises such as Pixel Space India.

Under the SBS-III framework, ISRO will be responsible for designing and deploying the first 21 next-generation satellites by leveraging its proven track record in high-capacity communication payloads, synthetic aperture radar systems, and optical imaging technologies.

These satellites will form the backbone of the constellation, offering high-resolution coverage and secure, high-bandwidth communications across India and its extended maritime boundaries. Once the core segment is in orbit, private companies will take the lead in building and launching the next 31 platforms, accelerating deployment timelines and introducing commercial innovation into defence space operations.

Phased introduction will ensure that future satellites integrate the latest miniaturisation, onboard processing, and sensor fusion technologies, preventing obsolescence and guaranteeing continuity of service.

The program’s deployment roadmap envisions the first satellite launch by April 2026, the culmination of a full constellation by 2029, and expanded operational redundancy by 2031.

The expanded constellation will bring transformative changes across four critical domains. First, the ISR segment will allow beyond-border monitoring capability, real-time adversary tracking, and persistent surveillance of conflict-prone regions and the Indian Ocean’s vast maritime spaces.

High-resolution optical satellites, complemented by advanced synthetic aperture radar platforms, will provide round-the-clock, all-weather imaging, a significant improvement over current capabilities fragmented across multiple services. Second, in communications, the new satellites will establish secured, jam-resistant networks linking forward-deployed units, ships, submarines, and air platforms seamlessly to command centres, even under contested battlefield conditions.

These links will address current bottlenecks in bandwidth and reliability, ensuring uninterrupted decision-making cycles. Third, the Naval Constellation for regional Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) services will complement NavIC, ensuring India’s maritime forces can rely on sovereign-controlled navigation channels instead of integrating with GPS or GLONASS during high-intensity conflicts.

Finally, advanced electronic intelligence (ELINT) satellites will enable interception of enemy communications and radar emissions from greater ranges, giving the armed forces strategic visibility into adversary deployments and operational preparations.

The strategic rationale behind this rapid expansion is driven by two principal factors. The first is the operational lesson of Operation Sindoor, where the absence of persistent and high-fidelity overhead surveillance produced intelligence gaps during joint missions, highlighting the vulnerability of relying on limited coverage satellites.

The second is the recognition that data sovereignty is an increasingly critical strategic asset, demanding that India indigenously develop the entire surveillance and reconnaissance chain, from satellite manufacturing to secure ground processing stations.

This independence will mitigate reliance on foreign constellations for timely imagery or navigation, insulating India from geopolitical pressure points or access denial scenarios.

Integration between ISRO, the DSA, and private sector innovators is also central to the initiative, reflecting India’s broader effort to deepen civil-military convergence in space operations.

ISRO provides technical know-how and launch infrastructure, the DSA ensures mission alignment with operational doctrine, while private entities inject modularity, advanced imaging payloads, rapid prototyping, and artificial intelligence-driven data analysis into satellite architecture.

Together, this ecosystem is expected to reduce program delays, lower lifecycle costs, and accelerate the rollout of future constellations. The broader aim is to establish space not merely as a support function for conventional arms but as an independent war fighting domain capable of shaping outcomes decisively.

By 2031, with a fully matured constellation of 78 satellites, India will have transitioned into a state with unparalleled regional space dominance in South Asia and the Indian Ocean.

The system will endow its armed forces with a critical asymmetric advantage—compressed sensor-to-shooter cycles, real-time maritime domain awareness, and survivable communications across theatres—enabling India to pre-empt threats and respond faster than adversaries.

As the satellites come online in phases, the Indian military’s dependence on fragmented, limited assets will steadily give way to an integrated, multi-layered surveillance and communication architecture that strengthens India’s war fighting capacity, secures maritime trade routes, and enhances deterrence.

Ultimately, the SBS-III program signifies a structural shift: transforming the Indian space sector into a national security enabler while fostering a robust public-private industrial base that ensures long-term self-reliance in strategic space technologies.

Based On TOI Report