Guarding space assets, India plans ‘bodyguard’ satellites after foreign craft nearly collides with an ISRO satellite.
India is reportedly developing “bodyguard” satellites to protect its spacecraft from potential threats, following a close encounter with a foreign satellite that raised national security concerns.
According to sources familiar with the matter, the Indian government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi aims to deploy these satellites to identify and counter risks to orbiting spacecraft. The initiative comes after an incident in mid-2024 when a satellite from a neighbouring country passed dangerously close within just one kilometre of an Indian satellite operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
The affected ISRO satellite was orbiting at an altitude of 500–600 kilometres, a region increasingly crowded with communications satellites, including networks such as SpaceX’s Starlink. While the two satellites did not collide, the near miss was viewed as a potential demonstration of the foreign nation’s capabilities, and may have been intended as a show of strength.
ISRO and the Department of Space declined to comment on the report. Experts note that as low Earth orbit becomes more congested, such defensive measures could become a key component of national security strategies, particularly for countries reliant on satellites for navigation, communication, and reconnaissance.
The development highlights the growing militarisation of space and the increasing need for protective measures to ensure the safety and operational integrity of strategic satellites.
