Tata betting big on high-resolution imagery satellites for military

Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL) has set up a facility to manufacture high-resolution imagery satellites that will help the armed forces keep a closer eye on border areas, betting big on the military space sector.

The Bengaluru-based facility will manufacture sub-metre resolution satellites and will have a ground station that can control their movement and process imagery required by the armed forces to monitor infrastructure or acquire military targets.

The defence ministry has thrown open a challenge to Indian industry to make metre and sub-metre resolution satellites for military use.


Built on TASL's considerable defence sector capabilities, the facility is geared to manufacture up to 24 low earth orbit (LEO) satellites a year. The plant is being set up in partnership with Satellogic, a Latin American company that specialises in earth observation satellites. The first Indian-made satellite is expected to be ready for launch within six months and will provide images with a 0.5-metre spatial resolution.

TASL confirmed the initiative to set up the Assembly, Integration and Testing (AIT) facility, in response to a query.

"There is an urgent need for more high-end resolution imagery satellites for Indian defence applications, and this will be a meaningful first step by TASL to build Indian capabilities in this area," TASL CEO and MD Sukaran Singh told ET. "Our technical partner Satellogic has great heritage in this area, and our strategy will be to build on that."

The armed forces currently depend on satellite imagery from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and obtain commercial images from foreign companies as needed. Given the extended border areas that need to be monitored, the armed forces have been looking for more options. There has been a spike in imagery procurement from foreign entities, especially after developments on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.

In such cases, coordinates of the area to be monitored have to be shared with foreign entities tasked with getting the desired images. A ground station based in India would add to the security of operations and areas of interest where targets need to be acquired.

TASL will use its expertise in system integration, electronics and software to develop new satellites with different payloads for defence requirements in the future. It will also progressively localise the product at the component level and work on developing indigenous payloads.

The company already has a range of products for the armed forces, including loitering munitions, UAV control centres, artillery systems and several aerostructures. It is also producing C-295 military transport aircraft in partnership with Airbus.