00:00Bloomberg has learned that New Delhi plans to launch more than 50 spy satellites and add
00:04nighttime imaging to enhance its national security capabilities.
00:08Sources say this comes after last year's border conflict with Pakistan exposed surveillance
00:13blind spots.
00:15Let's get to our India infrastructure reporter, Mihir Mishra now.
00:18So, Mihir, what are India's plans on beefing up space prisons?
00:24Hi, good morning.
00:25So, India's plans are not just, have multiple elements to it.
00:31So, the first element is to have as many satellites in orbit to be able to monitor areas of interest
00:37more frequently than they are able to do today.
00:40The plan also has an element to have, you know, better technology on these satellites, which
00:48includes having nighttime surveillance capabilities.
00:52capabilities to be able to, where satellites can talk to each other to be able to transfer
00:57data from one satellite to another.
01:00Then the third element is to have as many ground stations as possible.
01:05There are areas that they are looking at.
01:07So, they are looking at areas in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and also in Scandinavian
01:13countries.
01:14These are all part of the plan to bolster India's space capabilities to be able to monitor areas
01:24of interest in India's neighborhood more frequently than they are able to do today.
01:31So, what did New Delhi learn from the conflict with Pakistan last May?
01:35Yeah, so, India-Pakistan conflict last May was probably the first conflict where space assets
01:47were used as extensively as it was used during that period.
01:52You know, while India was using its satellites to monitor, you know, places of interest in Pakistan.
02:03They were also, ISRO, which is the state India space research organization, they were also
02:09helping with monitoring all that data, processing all that data.
02:15India also had to buy a lot of data from US-based startup companies.
02:21Yeah, and, you know, so the learning was that India needs to have more and more assets in the orbit.
02:30So, can you tell us about the agencies that are going to be involved in boosting India's
02:35surveillance and the timelines for this new security push?
02:40Yeah, so, while the timelines are for the first 50 launches are about 24 months,
02:44but there is a sense of urgency within the system and the plan is to make it possible as soon as possible.
02:52There is an urgency to kind of deliver as early as possible and not just stick to timelines.
02:56So, there is an urgency to do it before the timelines as well.
03:00But the bigger problem is that India needs more and more satellites.
03:06And, you know, this is probably the first time where not just military, but military, ISRO and also the private sector
03:15has been working together as closely as they have, as they are in this case.
03:20They have never worked as closely before.
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