India’s space regulator has taken a decisive step toward commercialising satellite infrastructure by inviting private firms to establish and operate ground stations within the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), one of the Indian Space Research Organisation’s most important facilities.

The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) has issued an expression of interest (EoI) seeking up to three Indian companies to set up and run satellite ground stations inside the NRSC campus at Shadnagar, located on the outskirts of Hyderabad.

The initiative is designed to seed a private “Ground Station as a Service” (GSaaS) ecosystem in India. This would enable commercial operators to receive satellite data, track spacecraft, and provide communication support services to both domestic and international clients.

The identified site spans approximately 9.15 acres within the NRSC premises and will be physically separated from existing agency facilities through dedicated fencing and access controls. Eligible operators will be permitted to install S-, X-, and Ka-band ground stations, frequency ranges that are critical for modern Earth observation and telecommunications satellites.

A key advantage of the Shadnagar location is its protection against radio frequency interference, particularly in the Ka-band. While portions of the 24.25–27.5 GHz spectrum have been earmarked for 5G deployment elsewhere in India, a 2.7-km exclusion zone has been mandated around five Department of Space sites, including Shadnagar.

This regulatory buffer makes the campus uniquely suited for Ka-band data reception, which is increasingly essential as newer remote sensing missions rely on the band to downlink high-resolution imagery at speed.

IN-SPACe has offered two participation models for interested companies. The first involves leasing abandoned antenna pedestals and control rooms on ten- or twenty-year terms, with firms allowed to upgrade or rebuild the structures as required.

This approach offers relatively quick deployment. The second model is a “plug-and-play” arrangement in which ISRO and IN-SPACe would construct ready-to-use facilities capable of supporting antennas up to 7.5 metres in diameter, engineered to withstand wind speeds of 200 kmph. However, this option is expected to take between 12 and 18 months before handover.

The timing of the EoI is significant, arriving against a backdrop of rapidly expanding satellite constellations and Earth observation missions worldwide. This has driven strong demand for high-capacity ground infrastructure capable of receiving and processing large volumes of data in near real time.

Equally important is the institutional signal the announcement sends: Opening sensitive technical infrastructure inside an ISRO campus to private commercial operators marks a notable shift in India’s space policy.

Companies interested in participating have until 25 June to submit responses. An open-house discussion and site visit at Shadnagar is scheduled for 19 June, providing prospective operators with an opportunity to assess the facilities and clarify operational details before committing to the project.

Agencies