India is starting a new project to build “bodyguard satellites” that will shield its space assets from possible hostile activity. This comes after a foreign spacecraft in 2024 came within a kilometer of an Indian satellite in low Earth orbit, raising alarms.
New Delhi stepped up space security measures after the incident, which was perceived as a display of hostile capabilities even though there was no collision, took place.
Space assets are essential for both military and civilian activities in India due to the country’s increasing reliance on them for communications, navigation, reconnaissance, and intelligence. The 2024 close approach highlighted these satellites’ vulnerabilities, especially in low Earth orbit (500–600 km height), which is becoming more and more congested with satellites from competing countries’ strategic assets as well as commercial constellations like Starlink. The incident increased worries that in an emergency, enemies may purposefully tamper with or take down Indian satellites.
The government’s strategy calls for creating specialized satellites that can keep an eye on, maneuver, and take action to safeguard valuable Indian spacecraft. It is anticipated that these bodyguard or escort satellites will be equipped with sensors for monitoring, propulsion systems for quick maneuvers, and potentially countermeasure technology to disarm or discourage attacks. The project is in line with India’s larger initiative to defend its critical assets by combining active defense measures with space situational awareness (SSA).
This scheme is part of an approved ₹270 billion ($3 billion) plan to install roughly 50 new surveillance satellites. Next year is when the first of these is expected to debut.
These platforms will help collect intelligence, monitor hostile military movements, and improve border security. They work in tandem with bodyguard satellites to create a multi-layered surveillance and security system that is essential in an area where China’s quickly growing satellite fleet and Pakistan’s developing but still constrained capabilities are rivals.
In-orbit defense systems cannot operate independently, experts stress. To offer early notice of impending threats or intentional ones, extensive ground-based infrastructure will be essential, including radar systems, optical telescopes, and tracking networks powered by machine learning. Although India does not currently have a 24/7 in-orbit monitoring capacity, a number of local start-ups are looking into ways to improve this area and supplement ISRO’s current mission control and Deep Space Network infrastructure.
China’s fleet of over 930 satellites, which include advanced military reconnaissance, communication, navigation, and anti-satellite (ASAT)-oriented systems, dwarfs India’s present fleet of over 100 active satellites, which is far more than Pakistan’s eight. The disparity emphasizes how urgent it is for India to increase the number of its space assets while simultaneously safeguarding valuable satellites from interference or attacks—an area in which China has already shown itself to be highly skilled.
During previous conflicts, ISRO’s satellite assets have directly contributed to India’s security. In a public demonstration of the close connection between space operations and national security readiness, over 400 ISRO scientists worked nonstop to oversee Earth observation and communication systems during the height of tensions with Pakistan. An extension of this defensive stance is the development of bodyguard satellites, which guarantee India’s satellites’ security during both peacetime contests and emergency situations.
With its effort, India joins a select few countries that are thinking about deploying defensive satellite constellations as part of their space war readiness. The guardian satellites, albeit still in the conceptual stage, might be a significant step in India’s transformation from a regional space power to a space security player that can combat kinetic and non-kinetic threats in orbit. To build a unified space security ecosystem, future advancements would probably entail collaboration between government organizations, ISRO, the Defence Space Agency (DSA), and private space start-ups.
