Pakistan’s Recent Satellite Launches: The Real Question India Should Be Asking
Authors
Recent reports have highlighted Pakistan’s rapid pace of Earth Observation (EO) satellite launches. Over roughly 16 months, from January 2025 to June 2026, Pakistan’s space agency SUPARCO launched six Earth observation satellites. For a country with a relatively modest space programme, this represents a significant acceleration and has naturally attracted attention.
Some observers have interpreted this as evidence of an emerging Pakistani “spy satellite” network. While the concerns are understandable, it is worth examining the issue more carefully.
The first takeaway is that these launches indicate Pakistan has acquired the ability to place satellites into orbit at a much faster rate than before, likely with substantial assistance from China. The sensor capabilities of these satellites may still be limited compared to more mature space powers, but the ability to deploy multiple satellites in a short period is itself an important capability.
However, Earth observation satellites are not automatically spy satellites.
The recent report points to orbital paths, areas of observation, and revisit frequencies over parts of India as evidence of surveillance intent. Yet modern Earth observation satellites are generally designed to maximise coverage of areas relevant to their own national interests. They are also increasingly expected to provide higher revisit rates. Since many of these satellites operate in sun-synchronous orbits, they inevitably pass over neighbouring countries as part of their orbital geometry.
Pakistan shares a long land boundary with India. It is therefore unsurprising that satellites designed to observe Pakistan will also collect imagery over Indian territory. Geography and orbital mechanics make this unavoidable.
The more relevant question is not whether these satellites pass over India. The real concern is whether Pakistan has developed the capability to monitor critical features within India at useful spatial, temporal, and spectral resolutions.
High-resolution optical imagery certainly deserves attention. Any country would be concerned if another nation gains improved visibility of infrastructure development, military facilities, transportation networks, or strategic assets. However, the discussion should not be limited to optical sensors alone.
The greater concern arises when satellite payloads extend across different portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), hyperspectral sensors, thermal imaging systems, and other advanced payloads can reveal characteristics that are not visible through conventional optical imagery. Such capabilities significantly enhance intelligence gathering and situational awareness.
The second debate often revolves around whether these satellites are civilian or military in nature. In reality, this distinction is increasingly meaningless.
Most high-resolution Earth observation satellites are officially justified on civilian grounds such as agriculture, disaster management, environmental monitoring, land-use mapping, or urban planning. Yet the same datasets are routinely valuable for defence and security applications. The dual-use nature of remote sensing technology means that civilian and military uses are often inseparable.
Therefore, it matters less what Pakistan declares these satellites to be and more what capabilities they possess.
For India, however, the larger lesson lies elsewhere.
The real concern should not be Pakistan’s growing Earth observation capability. The real concern should be whether India is doing enough to maintain its own leadership in this domain.
India possesses a far more advanced space ecosystem, but there are signs that the national focus has gradually shifted. ISRO’s achievements in planetary exploration, human spaceflight preparation, and deep-space missions are rightly celebrated. Yet Earth observation remains equally important for national security, resource management, scientific research, and economic development.
The emergence of private space companies in India is a welcome development. New programmes have encouraged industry participation in satellite development and payload creation. However, building a handful of satellites is not sufficient.
A useful comparison can be drawn with NASA’s approach. While private companies play an increasingly important role in developing and operating satellites, NASA continues to invest heavily in advanced scientific missions, novel sensors, and long-term Earth system observations. These investments generate high-quality datasets that fuel research, innovation, and operational applications across multiple sectors.
India would benefit from a similar approach.
The objective should not simply be to launch more satellites. The larger goal should be to strengthen the entire Earth observation ecosystem.
That ecosystem includes sensor development, payload design, satellite manufacturing, launch capabilities, ground infrastructure, data processing systems, artificial intelligence tools, field validation mechanisms, academic research, industrial participation, and user communities. Every component matters.
Ultimately, the greatest strategic advantage does not come from possessing a few satellites in orbit. It comes from building a complete ecosystem that can continuously generate data, transform it into actionable information, support scientific discovery, and enable informed decision-making.
Pakistan’s recent launches deserve attention. But rather than focusing solely on what our neighbour is doing, India should use this moment to ask a more important question: Are we investing enough in the future of Earth observation and the ecosystem that sustains it?