Pak released 6 spy satellites in over a year; can utilize them to keep a sharp eye on Indian area: Expert

NEW DELHI: Pakistan has actually improved its area monitoring power manifold by introducing a series of 6 earth observation(EO )satellites in the last one and a half years. These EO or spy satellites can be utilized by Pakistan to watch on India’s borders, troop implementation and military properties.Pak introduced 6 satellites in a year; might be utilized to spy on India, alerts specialistThe Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) was set up in 1961, Pakistan released its very first satellite just in 1990. Even the payloads released in the last a number of years with the aid of foreign launchers were less than a lots. In between Jan 2025 and April 2026, Pakistan remarkably released 6 EO satellites, primarily with the assistance of Chinese rockets.The 6 EO satellites introduced are Pakistan Air University PAUSAT-1 on Jan 14, 2025 by SpaceX-Falcon 9; Pakistan Remote Sensing Satellite-Earth Observation 1 (PRSC-EO1) introduced on Jan 17, 2025 by China’s Long March-2D rocket; PRSS-2 EO on July 31, 2025 by a Chinese rocket; Hyperspectral satellite HS-1 on Oct 19, 2025 by China’s Long March; PRSC-EO2 took off on Feb 12, 2026 by China’s Smart Dragon-3; and PRSC-EO3 on April 25 this year by Chinese Long March-6.

Group Captain Ajay Ahlawat (retd), now a defence expert, informed TOI, “There is obvious about these satellites as all payload launches are taped with ITU (International Telecommunication Union). We (India) too did not miss it. These EO satellites have actually been developed to see things in higher information and have actually enhanced Pakistan’s exposure on Indian area, a minimum of for 3-4 years. On the contrary, India has actually not had the ability to release a single monitoring satellite in the last one year.

Our payloads are all set. The rocketry system is not. After many current failures, Isro is concerned and uncertain of effective launches.”“Our NavIC system has actually likewise maimed as just 3 navigation satellites remain in area versus the requirement of minimum 4, requiring our tactical forces to depend on foreign navigation systems like GPS and Glonass for rocket navigation,”the defence professional stated. Group Capt Ahlawat (Retd) recommended that India needs to get their payloads that are vital for essential area objectives introduced from friendly area firms like Europe’s Spaceport at French Guiana or Russia’s Baikonur Cosmodrome till the time Isro repairs its rocket issues.Rear Admiral Sudhir Pillai (Retd), likewise a defence expert, stated in his blog site just recently, “When EO-3 satellite is passing over South Asia in daytime, PRSC-S1 is passing over the exact same location in darkness, and vice versa. Because the optical satellite requires daytime and the SAR satellite does not, the 2 satellites together offer what neither attains alone, compressed review cycles approaching determination in functional regards to the South Asian theatre throughout the complete 24-hour cycle.

Discussing India’s satellite strategies, Pillai even more composed, “India’s space-based Surveillance Phase-III program– SBS-3– authorized in Oct 2024 and sped up after Operation Sindoor, imagines a constellation of 52 monitoring satellites to be released over the 2nd half of this years. The intent is sound, however the sequencing issue is severe: the overhead ISR hazard from China’s currently thick military satellite network and from this China-enabled Pakistani constellation is functional now, while SBS-3’s very first launches are just anticipated to start around 2026 and complete implementation is typically not predicted before 2029.