New Delhi: 

ISRO chairman V. Narayanan confirmed this on Sunday at the convocation of Central Agricultural University in Agartala. “We must use space to our advantage if we wish to protect our nation,” he said. He pointed out the need for satellite and drone technology to watch India’s massive 7,000-kilometre-long seashore and border zones. Without them, round-the-clock monitoring would be nearly impossible.

As tensions between India and Pakistan spiked earlier this month, a quiet but crucial force was working above, in orbit. ISRO, India’s space agency, has deployed ten satellites in continuous strategic operation to monitor the nation’s borders during the ongoing conflict. These eyes in the sky are playing a big role in keeping track of enemy movements, coastline activity, and overall defence readiness.

Satellites behind the scenes

As of now, India has launched 127 satellites, many of them built in partnership with private firms and colleges. Of these, 22 are placed in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and 29 in Geosynchronous Orbit (GEO). A dozen of them are dedicated to surveillance, including the Cartosat and RISAT series, along with EMISAT and MicroSat, all built to collect military intelligence.

The next big launch is EOS-09 (RISAT-1B), a radar imaging satellite, scheduled for May 18. Once in sun-synchronous orbit, it will boost India’s ability to scan sensitive border zones, even in cloudy or night conditions.

52 new satellites coming

For now, ISRO’s ten active surveillance satellites remain in constant motion, quietly supporting India’s defence machinery while most of the action stays down here on the ground.

At a separate global space event, IN-SPACe chairman Pawan Kumar Goenka revealed India’s plan to launch 52 more satellites over the next five years. “We already have robust capabilities, but continued enhancement is vital,” Goenka said at the Global Space Exploration Conference 2025. He said the new constellation would support the Army, Navy, and Air Force in real-time coordination during operations.

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