Page 4 - Satellite

India to launch 52 spy satellites over next five years: INSPACe chairman

India will put in orbit a constellation of 52 satellites over the next five years to step up space-based surveillance capabilities, Pawan Kumar Goenka, chairman, Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) said on Wednesday. He said the move will see strong participation from the private sector. Speaking to PTI on the sidelines of the Global Space Exploration Conference 2025 here, Goenka said, "We have fairly strong capabilities already. It is just that it needs constant enhancement." He said the plan is intended at increasing surveillance capabilities of the defence sector. "So far, this was primarily done by ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation). We will bring in the private sector as we move forward," he said. The satellites will help the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force track enemy movements, monitor borders, and improve real-time coordination during military operations. "The private sector will deliver half of the 52 satellites, while the rest will

'Indian rockets carry more than payloads': PM Modi on space exploration

PM Modi addressed the Global Conference on Space Exploration 2025 and stated that by 2035, India will have its own 'Bharatiya Antariksha Station'

Drones can provide secure coverage compared to satellites: COAI DG

High altitude platforms like solar power drones, balloons, airships, etc, can provide secure and flexible coverage at lower cost compared to satellites, a senior official of telecom industry body COAI said. Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) Director General S P Kochhar said countries like the US, Japan, the UK, and companies like Airbus (Zephyr) and SoftBank are investing heavily in HAPS technologies and India should start working on regulatory framework for HAPS operations, spectrum allocation and airspace management. Kochhar's remarks come at a time when COAI key members Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio have joined hands with Elon Musk-led Starlink for satellite services after initially opposing and obstructing its bid to enter the India market. Starlink is yet to get government's approval to start services in India pending security clearance. "The main purpose of HAPS is similar to satellites, but with the advantage of being able to be deployed rapidly and at a lower

IN-SPACe invites private companies to develop satellite-bus platforms

As part of this initiative, IN-SPACe will support the realisation of satellite bus platforms through a two-phase approach

Indian market open to entry of more satcom firms: Scindia on Musk's visit

Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday threw his weight behind having more players in satellite internet space, saying the service was needed particularly in the rural and underserved areas of the vast market that is India. The government has already granted licences to firms backed by billionaires Mukesh Ambani and Sunil Bharti Mittal to offer satellite internet services, and Scindia indicated more may be granted if players meet security and regulatory norms. The minister's statement is a positive one for Elon Musk's Starlink that has aspirations to operate in the world's most populous nation. Starlink, which had been vying for an India licence for sometime now, last month signed pacts with Ambani's Reliance Jio and Mittal's Bharti Airtel -- which together control more than 70 per cent of the country's telecom market -- to bring the US satellite internet giant's services to India. Citing the licences granted to Bharti Group-backed Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite ...

No decision yet on rollout of satellite-based tolling from May 1: MoRTH

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) on Friday clarified that no decision has been taken on the nationwide implementation of satellite-based tolling from May 1. The ministry's response came after some sections of the media reported that a satellite-based tolling system would be launched from May 1, 2025 and will replace the existing FASTag-based toll collection system. In a statement, the ministry said that to enable seamless, barrier-free movement of vehicles through toll plazas and reduce travel time, an Automatic Number Plate Recognition(ANPR)-FASTag-based barrier-less tolling system' will be implemented at selected toll plazas. According to the statement, the advanced tolling system will combine ANPR technology, that will identify vehicles by reading their number plates, and the existing FASTag system' that uses Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) for toll deduction. Under this, vehicles will be charged based on their identification through high performance ANP

Satellite internet: Opportunities and challenges in Starlink's India outing

Despite the promise of wide coverage, there is the issue of pricing. Airtel and Jio could help there

Amazon to rival Starlink with its own satellite constellation: Details

Amazon has said that it will begin offering high-speed and low-latency internet services by the end of this year

Nasa's SWOT satellite unveils most detailed ocean floor map yet: Watch

More precise maps created using data from the SWOT mission can enhance underwater navigation and provide deeper insights into the movement of heat and marine life across the world's oceans

Pixxel commissions three hyperspectral satellites, releases first images

Bengaluru-based start-up Pixxel on Tuesday said it has commissioned three Firefly satellites and released the world's highest resolution hyper-spectral images captured by the constellation. The start-up released the first images of the Ganga, Saloum River Delta of Senegal and the Sundarbans, revealing in greater detail the health of the respective regions across more than 150 hyper-spectral bands. Pixxel launched three Firefly satellites onboard SpaceX's Transporter-12 mission in January this year. It plans to launch three more satellites by the middle of this year. "We're proud to unveil these pioneering images from Firefly, each pixel a vital clue in our quest to decode the Earth's complexities," said Awais Ahmed, the founder and CEO of Pixxel. The image of the Ganga, captured by Firefly-3 satellite, shows the river's braided channels, floodplains and surrounding farmland, revealing subtle variations in soil moisture and vegetation health which are critical for farmers and water

Google CEO Pichai thanks Musk's SpaceX for successful FireSat launch

FireSat is a satellite constellation developed by Google Research in collaboration with the Earth Fire Alliance, the Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation, and Muon Space

Satcom policy needed: Govt must streamline processes for satellite telecom

Government approval to Starlink, especially security clearance, is another loose end that needs attention

Starlink's tie-ups with Jio, Airtel to reshape India's satellite broadband

In a surprise move earlier this week, Sunil Bharti Mittal-led Airtel announced a partnership Musk-led SpaceX to offer the Starlink service in India

TRAI plans to limit satellite permits to 5 years, defying Musk's Starlink

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is currently working on key recommendations to the federal government, including a time frame and pricing of satellite spectrum

Isro achieves de-docking of SpaDeX satellites, sets stage for Chandrayaan 4

ISRO on Thursday said it has accomplished de-docking of the SpaDeX satellites, clearing the way for future missions such as exploring the moon, human spaceflight, and building its own space station. Union Minister Jitendra Singh announced the successful de-docking of satellites in a post on X. "SpaDeX satellites accomplished the unbelievable de-docking. This paves the way for smooth conduct of ambitious future missions including the Bharatiya Antriksha Station, Chandrayaan 4 & Gaganyaan," Singh said. "Congrats team ISRO. And heartening for every Indian," he said. Singh said Prime Minster Narendra Modi's continuous patronage keeps the spirits soaring. The SpaDeX mission was launched on December 30 last year when the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) placed in orbit two satellites -- SDX01 and SDX02 -- to demonstrate the docking experiment in space. After several attempts, the space agency successfully docked the two satellites on January 16.

Ashwini Vaishnaw deletes social media post welcoming Starlink to India

Vaishnaw's remarks coincide with shifts in the Indian telecom industry, as Jio Platforms Ltd. and Bharti Airtel Ltd. have unexpectedly partnered with SpaceX to incorporate Starlink's services

Amid US-Ukraine tensions, Starlink's European rival sees shares soar 500%

Eutelsat has the infrastructure to expand its role in Ukraine, whose troops rely on Starlink for internet connectivity to operate drones, secure messaging, and real-time coordination

Airtel signs deal with Elon Musk's SpaceX to bring Starlink to India

Airtel will distribute Starlink's equipment at its retail stores, sell Starlink services to business customers

Assam to launch its satellite, talks on with Isro for ASSAMSAT project

Assam is preparing to launch its very own satellite, named 'ASSAMSAT', to collect data for socio-economic projects and border surveillance, said the state government

Digantara commissions world's first commercial space surveillance satellite

The world's first commercial space surveillance satellite, capable of tracking objects as small as 5 centimetres orbiting the Earth, was commissioned on Saturday as it captured images over South America, the Bengaluru-based start-up Digantara said. Digantara had launched the space surveillance satellite SCOT (Space Camera for Object Tracking) on January 14 aboard SpaceX's Transporter-12 rocket. The satellite started operations on Saturday. "Space just ran out of hiding spots," the start-up said in a post on X. In a statement, the company said the SCOT satellite achieved first light on Saturday and its inaugural image while passing over South America -- a breathtaking view of Earth's limb, with the city of Buenos Aires glowing against the planet's curvature. "SCOT's first image is more than a technical milestone; it's a symbol of our team's resilience and unwavering commitment to safeguarding Earth's orbits for generations to come," said Digantara CEO Anirudh Sharma. The satellite