The Defence Space Agency (DSA) is an integrated tri-services agency of the

Indian Armed Forces The Indian Armed Forces are the armed forces, military forces of the India, Republic of India. It consists of three professional uniformed services: the Indian Army, the Indian Navy, and the Indian Air Force.—— Additionally, the Indian Ar ...

headquartered in

Bengaluru Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. The agency is tasked with operating the space-warfare and satellite intelligence assets of

. The DSA draws personnel from all three branches of the

Armed Forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a ...

. The agency is expected to be converted into a full sized tri-service military

command Command may refer to: Computing * Command (computing), a statement in a computer language * command (Unix), a Unix command * COMMAND.COM, the default operating system shell and command-line interpreter for DOS * Command key, a modifier key on A ...

in the future.

History

Origins

The Naresh Chandra Task Force was set up in July 2011 by National Security Advisor

Shivshankar Menon Shivshankar Menon (born 5 July 1949) is a retired Indian diplomat of Indian Foreign Service who served as National Security Advisor of India to the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He had previously served as the Foreign Secretary in the Minist ...

to review the recommendations of the Kargil Review Committee, assess the implementation progress and further suggest new reforms related to national security. The task force was led by Naresh Chandra, retired

Indian Administrative Service The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) is the Public administration, administrative arm of the All India Services of Government of India. The IAS is one of the three All India Services along with the Indian Police Service (IPS) and the Indian ...

officer, and comprised 13other members, including

Gopalaswami Parthasarathy Captain Gopalaswami Parthasarathy, popularly known as G. Parthasarathy (born 13 May 1940) is a former commissioned officer in the Indian Army (1963-1968) and a diplomat and author. He has served as the High Commissioner of India, Cyprus (199 ...

, Air Chief Marshal Srinivasapuram Krishnaswamy (Retd), Admiral Arun Prakash (Retd), Lt Gen V. R. Raghavan (Retd),

Anil Kakodkar Anil Kakodkar, (born 11 November 1943) is an Indian nuclear power, nuclear physicist and mechanical engineer. He was the chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission of India and the Secretary to the Government of India, he was the Director of ...

, K C Verma and V K Duggal. The committee conducted the first holistic review of national security since the Kargil Review Committee and submitted its classified report to

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Manmohan Singh Manmohan Singh (26 September 1932 – 26 December 2024) was an Indian economist, bureaucrat, academician, and statesman, who served as the prime minister of India from 2004 to 2014. He was the fourth longest-serving prime minister after Jaw ...

on 23May2012. Among its recommendations, the Task Force recommended the creation of a

cyber command United States Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the United States Department of Defense (DoD). It unifies the direction of cyberspace operations, strengthens DoD cyberspace capabilities, and integrat ...

, an aerospace command and a special operations command. All three units were proposed to be tri-service commands. The DSA is a downsized implementation of this proposal. The creation of the Defence Space Agency (DSA), the

Defence Cyber Agency The Defence Cyber Agency (DCyA) is an integrated tri-services agency of the Indian Armed Forces. Headquartered in New Delhi, the agency is tasked with handling cyber security threats. The DCyA draws personnel from all three branches of the Arme ...

(DCA), and the

Armed Forces Special Operations Division The Armed Forces Special Operations Division (AFSOD) is an integrated tri-services division of the Indian Armed Forces. The division is tasked to carry out special operations. The AFSOD draws personnel from all three special warfare branches ...

(AFSOD) was approved by

Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician who has served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India since 2014. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Par ...

during the Combined Commanders' Conference at Jodhpur Air Force Station on 28 September 2018. The Defence Imagery Processing and Analysis Centre in

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

and the Defence Satellite Control Centre in

Bhopal Bhopal (; ISO 15919, ISO: Bhōpāl, ) is the capital (political), capital city of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and the administrative headquarters of both Bhopal district and Bhopal division. It is known as the ''City of Lakes,'' due to ...

were subsumed by the DSA.

Anti-satellite programme of India

Months before the operationalisation of the Defence Space Agency,

conducted an

Anti-satellite weapon Anti-satellite weapons (ASAT) are space weapons designed to incapacitate or destroy satellites for Military strategy, strategic or Military tactics, tactical purposes. Although no ASAT system has been utilized in warfare, a few countries (China, ...

(ASAT) test in March 2019. The test was aimed at demonstrating India's anti-satellite capability. The Indian ASAT programme can be traced back to its BMD program, which began in 1999 in response to threats posed by the

Ballistic missile A ballistic missile is a type of missile that uses projectile motion to deliver warheads on a target. These weapons are powered only during relatively brief periods—most of the flight is unpowered. Short-range ballistic missiles (SRBM) typic ...

s of

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

and

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

.Interview: Vijay Kumar Saraswat
/ref> In 2006 and 2007, India tested its first exo atmospheric interceptor and has developed many interceptors since then. On 18 March 2008,

DRDO The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is an agency under the Department of Defence Research and Development in the Ministry of Defence of the Government of India, charged with the military's research and development, headqu ...

Chief V. K. Saraswat had hinted that India possessed technology required for an ASAT missile, reiterating it in February 2010. India is known to have been developing an exo-atmospheric kill vehicle that can be integrated with the missile to engage satellites. In April 2012, Saraswat again said that India possessed the critical technologies for an ASAT weapon from radars and interceptors developed for

Indian Ballistic Missile Defence Programme The Indian Ballistic Missile Defence Programme is an initiative to develop and deploy a multi-layered ballistic missile defence system to protect India from ballistic missile attacks. It was launched in 1999 after the Kargil War by the Atal B ...

. India had begun work on its ASAT soon after the

2007 Chinese anti-satellite missile test On 11 January 2007, China conducted an anti-satellite missile test. A Chinese weather satellite—the FY-1C (COSPAR 1999-025A) polar orbit satellite of the Fengyun series, at an altitude of , with a mass of —was destroyed by a kinetic kill ...

. As of April 2019, India was working on directed energy ASAT weapons, co-orbital ASAT weapons, lasers and electromagnetic pulse (EMP) based ASAT weapons. The ability to protect space assets from hostile electronic and physical attacks was also being developed by India.

Expansion

It was reported in late 2023 that the

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the air force, air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during armed conflicts. It was officially established on 8 Octob ...

(IAF) has proposed to rename itself as the Indian Air and Space Force (IASF) with an enhanced focus on space-based capabilities India also plans to have over 100 small and large military satellites within 7 to 8 years with the DSA to expand into a full-fledged Space Command. After the approval of 52 surveillance and communication satellites for the Indian Armed Forces, the

Department of Military Affairs Department of Military Affairs (DMA) is the department in charge of military matters within the Indian Ministry of Defence. Headed by the Chief of Defence Staff, as its ''ex-officio'' secretary, the DMA provides integration between the Indian ...

gave a detailed presentation to the senior members of the

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

and key stakeholders from

ISRO The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO ) is India's national space agency, headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka. It serves as the principal research and development arm of the Department of Space (DoS), overseen by the Prime Minister o ...

and

in December 2024. According to a report, plans are being devised to strengthen the Defence Space Agency and other related organisations by increasing the agency's manpower, ground-based infrastructure, space-based assets as well as ensuring their protection from threats. These steps are being taken to enhance India's space-centric warfare capabilities.

Military Space Doctrine of India

On 7 April 2024, India’s Chief of Defence Staff (CDS),

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

Anil Chauhan, announced the forthcoming release of a dedicated military space doctrine within two to three months as well as the underway formulation of a national military

space policy Space policy is the political decision-making process for, and application of, public policy of a state (or association of states) regarding spaceflight and uses of outer space, both for civilian (scientific and commercial) and military purposes ...

Exercise

''IndSpaceEx''

India conducted its first simulated

space warfare Space warfare is combat in which one or more belligerents are in outer space. The scope of space warfare includes ''ground-to-space warfare'', such as attacking satellites from the Earth; ''space-to-space warfare'', such as satellites attacki ...

exercise on 25th and 26 July 2019, called ''IndSpaceEx''. The exercise was conducted under the supervision of the

Integrated Defence Staff The Integrated Defence Staff (IDS) is an organisation responsible for fostering coordination and enabling prioritisation across the different branches of the Indian Armed Forces. It is composed of representatives from the Indian Army, Indian Navy ...

. The exercise was aimed at obtaining an assessment of threats and the creation of a joint space warfare doctrine.

Antariksh Abhyan

The first edition of the exercise was conducted from 11 to 13 November 2024 by Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff. The exercise will simulate various scenarios of war-game the growing threats from and to Space Based Assets and Services.

Space Based Surveillance

The Space Based Surveillance is a series of projects taken up by the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

to launch a constellation of satellites for

earth observation Earth observation (EO) is the gathering of information about the physical, chemical, and biosphere, biological systems of the planet Earth. It can be performed via remote sensing, remote-sensing technologies (Earth observation satellites) or throu ...

roles. Additionally, the Indian Armed Forces also operates

communications satellite A communications satellite is an artificial satellite that relays and amplifies radio telecommunication signals via a Transponder (satellite communications), transponder; it creates a communication channel between a source transmitter and a Rad ...

s of the GSAT-7 series of which

GSAT-7 GSAT-7 or INSAT-4F is a multi-band military communications satellite developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation. The Indian Navy is the user of the multi-band communication spacecraft, which has been operational since September 2013. Acc ...

and

GSAT-7A GSAT-7A is an advanced military communications satellite meant primarily for the Indian Air Force with Indian Army using 30% of capacity. Overview GSAT-7A allows IAF to interlink different ground radar stations, ground airbase, aircraft to air ...

are active while GSAT-7B,

GSAT-7C GSAT-7C (Geosynchronous satellite 7C) is a planned Indian military communication satellite for the Indian Air Force, as part of the GSAT series. On 23 November 2021, the Defence Acquisition Council under the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh appro ...

and GSAT-7R are planned for launch. The Phase-I project was approved by the PM Atal Bihari Vajpeyee in 2001. In this phase, 4 satellites —

Cartosat-2A Cartosat-2A is an Earth observation satellite in a Sun-synchronous orbit and the third of the Cartosat series of satellites. The satellite is the thirteenth satellite in the Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellite series to be built, launched by ...

Cartosat-2B Cartosat-2B is an Earth observation satellite in a Sun-synchronous orbit and the fourth of the Cartosat series of satellites. The satellite is the seventeenth satellite in the Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellite series to be built by the Ind ...

, EROS B and RISAT-2 — were launched. The Phase-II project was approved by the government on 2013 as a part of which 6 satellites — Cartosat-2C, Cartosat-2D, Cartosat-3A, Cartosat-3B, Microsat-TD, RISAT-2A — were approved for development and launch.

SBS Phase-III

On 12 October 2024, India's

Cabinet Committee on Security The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) is a cabinet committee of the Government of India that discusses, debates and is the final decision-making body on senior appointments in the national security apparatus, defence policy and expenditure, and ...

approved a proposal for the development, construction and launch of a

constellation A constellation is an area on the celestial sphere in which a group of visible stars forms Asterism (astronomy), a perceived pattern or outline, typically representing an animal, mythological subject, or inanimate object. The first constellati ...

of 52

spy satellites A reconnaissance satellite or intelligence satellite (commonly, although unofficially, referred to as a spy satellite) is an Earth observation satellite or communications satellite deployed for military or intelligence applications. The ...

as a part of the Space Based Surveillance Phase-III project intended to enhance the country's surveillance capabilities from space in both land and sea domains. The project, worth , will be supervised by National Security Council Secretariat along with the Defence Space Agency under the

. The constellation will also enhance the SATCOM capabilities of long range UAVs of the Armed Forces like the MQ-9B Predator drones that are on order. The SBS system will provide round-the-clock monitoring, irrespective of weather, time of day or atmospheric conditions and may have secondary civilian applications as well. All the satellites is to be launched within 5 years at

Geosynchronous Equatorial Orbit A geostationary orbit, also referred to as a geosynchronous equatorial orbit''Geostationary orbit'' and ''Geosynchronous (equatorial) orbit'' are used somewhat interchangeably in sources. (GEO), is a circular geosynchronous orbit in altitud ...

(GEO) and

Low Earth Orbit A low Earth orbit (LEO) is an geocentric orbit, orbit around Earth with a orbital period, period of 128 minutes or less (making at least 11.25 orbits per day) and an orbital eccentricity, eccentricity less than 0.25. Most of the artificial object ...

(LEO). The satellites will be equipped with

artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is the capability of computer, computational systems to perform tasks typically associated with human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and decision-making. It is a field of re ...

for inter-satellite communications. As part of the project, 21 satellites will be co-developed by

and

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

(under the

LoI Loi is the word in the Meitei language (Meiteilon) for the term " scheduled caste". The term ''Loi'' is given to the indigenous and aboriginal people of Manipur in northeast India who refused to adopt Hinduism or were semi-Hinduised when the n ...

agreement for “defence space cooperation”) while the rest of 31 satellites are to be developed by three

private sector The private sector is the part of the economy which is owned by private groups, usually as a means of establishment for profit or non profit, rather than being owned by the government. Employment The private sector employs most of the workfo ...

companies. The role of these satellites would be

surveillance Surveillance is the monitoring of behavior, many activities, or information for the purpose of information gathering, influencing, managing, or directing. This can include observation from a distance by means of electronic equipment, such as ...

reconnaissance In military operations, military reconnaissance () or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, the terrain, and civil activities in the area of operations. In military jargon, reconnai ...

communication Communication is commonly defined as the transmission of information. Its precise definition is disputed and there are disagreements about whether Intention, unintentional or failed transmissions are included and whether communication not onl ...

and other strategic purposes. The CCS has also, reportedly, approved two agencies to develop multiple types of defensive and offensive capabilities from space. Under the same project, few experiments would be conducted for an integrated LEO and MEO satellite-based communication system which is a requirement for the Air Force and the Navy. The first batch of satellites will be launched in 2027-28.

List of Indian military satellites

As of 2024, India operates 9 military satellites. Of these, three strategic satellites including two communication satellites (

and

) are for dedicated military use, while the rest are dual-purpose satellites with military and civilian applications.

Operational

CARTOSAT-2B Cartosat-2B is an Earth observation satellite in a Sun-synchronous orbit and the fourth of the Cartosat series of satellites. The satellite is the seventeenth satellite in the Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellite series to be built by the Ind ...

carries a panchromatic (PAN) camera capable of taking black-and-white pictures in the visible region of electromagnetic spectrum which has a resolution of 80 centimetres. The highly agile CARTOSAT-2B can be steered up to 45 deg along as well as across the direction of its movement to facilitate imaging of any area more frequently and offers multiple spot scene imagery. #

was launched in 2013 for the exclusive use of the

Indian Navy The Indian Navy (IN) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Navy, maritime and Amphibious warfare, amphibious branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of the Naval Staff (India), Chief ...

to monitor the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) with the satellite's 2,000 nautical mile ‘footprint’ and real-time input capabilities to Indian warships, submarines and maritime aircraft.Why Isro's Gsat-7A launch is important for the Indian Air Force
Times of India, 19 Dec 2018. To boost its network-centric operations, the IAF is also likely to get another satellite

within a few years. # HySIS, a dual use satellite, was also launched in November 2013, which is used by the navy. HySIS carries two payloads, the first in the Visible Near Infrared (VNIR) spectral range of 0.4 to 0.95 micrometres with 60 contiguous spectral bands and the second in the Shortwave Infrared Range (SWIR) spectral range of 0.85 to 2.4

micrometre The micrometre (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures; SI symbol: μm) or micrometer (American English), also commonly known by the non-SI term micron, is a uni ...

s with a 10

nanometre 330px, Different lengths as in respect to the Molecule">molecular scale. The nanometre (international spelling as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures; SI symbol: nm), or nanometer (American spelling), is a unit of length ...

bandwidth and 256 contiguous spectral bands. The satellite will have a spatial resolution of 30 meters and a swath of 30 km from its 630 km

sun-synchronous orbit A Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO), also called a heliosynchronous orbit, is a nearly polar orbit around a planet, in which the satellite passes over any given point of the planet's surface at the same local mean solar time. More technically, it is ...

. # Cartosat-2C: Launched in June 2016, the satellite was used in

purposes before and during

2016 Indian Line of Control strike On 29 September 2016, teams of Indian Army Para (Special Forces) crossed the Line of Control into Azad Kashmir, Pakistani-administered Kashmir to attack targets up to a kilometer within territory held by Pakistan. The raid occurred ten days a ...

. # Cartosat-2E: Launched on 23 June 2017, the Cartosat-2E satellite was designed to collect high-resolution (0.6 m×0.6 m), large scale imagery. The satellite provides an edge in warfare with clearer images. The satellite is also used for urban planning, infrastructure development and traffic management. #

: Launched in December 2018 for the exclusive military use for the

. GSAT-7A allows IAF to interlink different ground radar stations, ground airbase, aircraft to aircraft

Real-time Control System Real-time Control System (RCS) is a reference model enterprise architecture, architecture, suitable for many software-intensive, real-time computing control problem domains. It defines the types of functions needed in a real-time intelligent contr ...

, AEW&C aircraft such as Beriev A-50-based Phalcon and DRDO Netra. The satellite enhances

network-centric warfare Network-centric warfare, also called network-centric operations or net-centric warfare, is a military doctrine or theory of war that aims to translate an information advantage, enabled partly by information technology, into a competitive advantag ...

capabilities of the Indian Air Force and its global operations.Chandrayaan-2 on track, 32 missions next year: ISRO
Indian Express, 20 Dec 2018. The satellite is also used by

Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...

's Aviation Corps for real-time control and communication of its aviation operations. # EMISAT: Launched on 1 April 2019, is a

reconnaissance satellite A reconnaissance satellite or intelligence satellite (commonly, although unofficially, referred to as a spy satellite) is an Earth observation satellite or communications satellite deployed for military or intelligence applications. The ...

under

's project ''Kautilya'' which will provide space-based electronic intelligence or

ELINT Signals intelligence (SIGINT) is the act and field of intelligence-gathering by interception of ''signals'', whether communications between people (communications intelligence—abbreviated to COMINT) or from electronic signals not directly u ...

, especially to improve the situational awareness of the

by providing information and location of enemy radars. # RISAT-2B: Launched on 22 May 2019 has replaced the retired RISAT-2. The primary requirement of the satellite is military surveillance along with secondary civilian purposes like

disaster management Emergency management (also Disaster management) is a science and a system charged with creating the framework within which communities reduce vulnerability to hazards and cope with disasters. Emergency management, despite its name, does not actua ...

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

and

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests and woodlands for associated resources for human and Natural environment, environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and ...

. # RISAT-2BR1: Launched on 11 December 2019 as a part of RISAT series. It can distinguish between objects which are 35 cm apart. # EOS-01 (previously RISAT-2BR2)

Planned

# GSAT-7R, planned to replace

for the Indian Navy. # GSAT-7B, planned to be first dedicated military satellite for the Indian Army. The approval was granted by Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) on 21 March 2023. The multiband military satellite, featuring integrated communication for

network-centric operations Network-centric warfare, also called network-centric operations or net-centric warfare, is a military doctrine or theory of war that aims to translate an information advantage, enabled partly by information technology, into a competitive advantag ...

, will be launched in 2–3 years. Contract for a 5-tonne satellite signed with

NewSpace India Limited NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) is a Public Sector Undertakings in India, Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) of the Government of India, under the Department of Space. NSIL is responsible for producing, assembling and integrating the launch vehicle ...

(NSIL), worth on 29 March 2023. The satellite would provide beyond line of sight communication to troops and formations as well as weapon and airborne platforms. #

, planned to replace

for the Indian Air Force. # RISAT- 2A: Initially planned for launch before RISAT-2B around December 2018 was postponed to 2020. However, there have been no further updates as of 2024. The satellite is planned to be equipped with

synthetic-aperture radar Synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) is a form of radar that is used to create two-dimensional images or three-dimensional reconstructions of objects, such as landscapes. SAR uses the motion of the radar antenna over a target region to provide fine ...

and will operate at 5.35

GHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), often described as being equivalent to one event (or Cycle per second, cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose formal expression in ter ...

in C band. # Cartosat-3A (EOS-8): Planned to be launched on PSLV-XL. Will have a panchromatic resolution of 0.25 metres and a high quality resolution of 1 metre. To be launched in 2024. # Cartosat-3B: Planned to be launched on PSLV-XL. Will have a panchromatic resolution of 0.25 metres and a high quality resolution of 1 metre. To be launched in 2025.

Decommissioned

Technology Experiment Satellite Technology Experiment Satellite (TES) is an Indian remote sensing and photo-reconnaissance satellite. Launch Technology Experiment Satellite (TES) was launched by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle#PSLV-C3, PSLV-C3 rocket from the Satish Dhawan ...

or (TES) is an experimental satellite to demonstrate and validate, in orbit, technologies that could be used in the future satellites of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The Technology Experiment Satellite (TES) has a

panchromatic A panchromatic emulsion is a type of photographic emulsion that is sensitive to all wavelengths of visible light, and produces a monochrome photograph—typically black and white. Most modern commercially available film is panchromatic, and the t ...

camera capable of producing images of 1 meter resolution for remote sensing. The launch of TES made India the second country in the world after the United States that can commercially offer images with one meter resolution. It is used for remote sensing of civilian areas, mapping industry and geographical information services. # RISAT-2, or Radar Imaging Satellite 2 has a primary sensor, the

synthetic aperture radar Synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) is a form of radar that is used to create two-dimensional images or 3D reconstruction, three-dimensional reconstructions of objects, such as landscapes. SAR uses the motion of the radar antenna over a target regi ...

from

Israel Aerospace Industries Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI; ), is Israel's major aerospace and aviation manufacturer, producing aerial and astronautic systems for both military and civilian usage. It has 14,000 employees as of 2021. IAI is state-owned by the government ...

(IAI). RISAT-2 is India's first satellite with a

. It has a day-night, all-weather monitoring capability and has a resolution of one metre. Potential applications include tracking hostile ships at sea. Though the

Indian Space Research Organisation The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO ) is India's national List of government space agencies, space agency, headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka. It serves as the principal research and development arm of the Department of Space (DoS), ...

sought to underplay the satellite's defence capabilities in its website and in its announcements, a majority of the media preferred to classify it as a spy satellite. ISRO claims that the satellite will enhance ISRO's capability for earth observation, especially during floods, cyclones, landslides and in disaster management in a more effective way. # CARTOSAT-2 carries a state-of-the-art panchromatic (PAN) camera that take black and white pictures of the Earth in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The swath covered by these high resolution PAN cameras is 9.6 km and their spatial resolution is 80 centimetres. The satellite can be steered up to 45 degrees along as well as across the track. CARTOSAT-2 is an advanced remote sensing satellite capable of providing scene-specific spot imagery. The data from the satellite will be used for detailed mapping and other cartographic applications at cadastral level, urban and rural infrastructure development and management, as well as applications in Land Information System (LIS) and Geographical Information System (GIS). Cartosat was decommissioned and the perigee lowered by controlled burns between March and Sep 2020 as debris mitigation activities. This will result in the orbit naturally decaying and re-entry within 10 years. #

GSAT-6A GSAT-6A was a communication satellite launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It featured a unfurlable S-band antenna similar to the one used on GSAT-6. Around 17 minutes after lift-off, the three stage GSLV Mk.II rocket flyi ...

is a dedicated satellite for army as a replacement for GSAT-6 which lost communication after its launch. # Microsat-R, a dedicated military satellite for the

, was launched on 24 January 2019. The 760 kg imaging satellite was launched using PSLV C-44 rocket.India launches military satellite
Times of India, 25 January 2019.

Organisation

The headquarter of the DSA is in

Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

. It functions under the

. Personnel from all the three branches of the

will be stationed in the agency. The agency is expected to be fully operational by November 2019.

Role

The DSA will operate systems to protect Indian interests in outer space and will deal with potential

space wars ''Space Wars'' is a shooter game released in arcades by Cinematronics in 1977. It is based on the PDP-1 game '' Spacewar!'' (1962) but instead uses vector graphics for the visuals. The hardware developed for ''Space Wars'' became the platform ...

. The agency will have the responsibility of developing a

strategy. It works on

Signals Intelligence Signals intelligence (SIGINT) is the act and field of intelligence-gathering by interception of ''signals'', whether communications between people (communications intelligence—abbreviated to COMINT) or from electronic signals not directly u ...

(SIGINT),

Electronic Intelligence Signals intelligence (SIGINT) is the act and field of intelligence-gathering by interception of ''signals'', whether communications between people (communications intelligence—abbreviated to COMINT) or from electronic signals not directly u ...

(ELINT), Communication Intelligence (COMINT) and in areas like space-based tracking systems.

Defence Space Research Agency

The Defence Space Research Agency (DSRA) is the scientific organisation responsible for developing space-warfare systems and technologies for the Defence Space Agency. The DSRA was approved by the

in June 2019. The DSRA is composed of scientists who undertake research and development in close coordination with the

. Various types of

systems are currently under development.

References

{{Politics of outer space Military units and formations of India Joint military units and formations of India 2018 establishments in Karnataka Government agencies established in 2018 Space units and formations