Why India's reliance on foreign satellite data will go down
21 Jan 2026

The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) has signed an agreement with four homegrown space tech start-ups to create India's first privately-led Earth observation (EO) satellite constellation.

The consortium, named Allied Orbits, consists of Pixxel, Dhruva Space, PierSight, and SatSure Analytics.

This project will see the construction and operation of a network of 12 EO satellites over the next five years at an investment of over ₹1,200 crore.

A shift toward private sector involvement
Paradigm shift

The EO-PPP program marks a departure from previous initiatives where satellites were entirely manufactured and owned by the government.

Now, private industries will be responsible for mission-scale assets.

The satellites will offer analysis ready data (ARD) and value-added services for sectors such as agriculture, disaster management, climate monitoring, infrastructure planning, and national security.

Advanced technology to be used in satellite constellation
Tech specs

The "Made in India" satellites will feature advanced imaging systems and radar.

This includes SatSure's imaging tech for super-detailed pictures, hyperspectral sensors, and PierSight's radar eyes.

The consortium will launch and operate these satellites in space.

They will help monitor crops, track disasters and climate changes, assist infrastructure projects, and enhance security.

Project to reduce reliance on foreign satellite data
Strategic move

The EO-PPP program aims to build a reliable national EO data backbone, reduce dependence on foreign satellite data, and improve India's geospatial and space-based services ecosystem via structured public-private collaboration.

This project will lessen India's reliance on foreign data for weather or agriculture-related information.

IN-SPACe will offer government access to satellite data as a service while companies will sell insights globally in energy and maritime sectors.