India is developing a strategy to bolster the security of its satellites following a close encounter in orbit that exposed potential national security risks from other spacecraft, sources familiar with the matter have revealed.

As per the media reports, the Central Government is intending to launch “bodyguard satellites” capable of detecting and responding to threats to India’s orbiting assets, according to individuals who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the topic. Satellites were particularly crucial during India’s May conflict with Pakistan, which nearly escalated into full-scale war.

The urgency for this initiative was highlighted by a previously undisclosed incident in mid-2024, when a satellite from a neighbouring country passed dangerously close—within one kilometre—of an ISRO satellite orbiting at 500–600 km above Earth. The Indian satellite, used for tasks including mapping and monitoring terrestrial objects with potential military applications, avoided collision, but the near miss may have been intended as a demonstration of capability.

However, the ISRO and the Department of Space declined to comment on the incident.

Satellite-protection initiative

The ‘bodyguard satellite’ project forms part of a broader plan to expand India’s orbital security capabilities. This includes a ₹27,000 crore programme to launch around 50 surveillance satellites, with the first expected to take off next year.

India has engaged in multiple armed conflicts with Pakistan and China over the past seven decades, both countries possessing vastly different space capabilities. While Pakistan operates just eight satellites, India has over 100, and China more than 930, according to data from N2Y0.com. Tensions with China have occasionally erupted into deadly clashes, including a 2020 border skirmish in which at least 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives. Indian and US officials have repeatedly warned about the increasing militarisation of space by China.

Indian Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit highlighted in June that Beijing’s satellite programme is expanding rapidly in both scale and sophistication. India is now collaborating with startups to identify viable solutions for satellite protection, with discussions in early stages focusing on LiDAR-equipped satellites that can detect threats in real-time, enabling ground technicians to command evasive manoeuvres.

Integrated ground-based systems

Experts stress that LiDAR satellites would need to function within a larger system of ground-based radars and telescopes.