By Admin 
Pakistan is silently competing strategically with India anew. With China’s help, it has rapidly expanded its space surveillance capabilities. Pakistan has launched 6 Earth-observation satellites in just 16 months and has created a satellite network capable of regularly monitoring Indian territory.
This sudden spurt of development is a major change in Pakistan’s slow-paced space programme. Pakistan has launched very few satellites in the decades since the establishment of the ‘Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission’ (SUPARCO) in 1961. Yet between January 2025 and April 2026 it deployed six new Earth-observation satellites, including optical imaging, hyperspectral and remote-sensing platforms.
Interestingly, these launches had started even before the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor conducted by India. Experts say that the important thing is not just the number of satellites, but what they can do together.
What did the former flag officer of the Indian Navy tell?
Analyzing the recent launch, Rear Admiral Sudhir Pillai, a former flag officer of the Indian Navy, said in a blog post, “The satellite network that has been built in this period of 16 months is not a common civilian Earth Observation System, which is sometimes used for military purposes as well. Its orbital architecture, the sensors installed in it and above all its background tell a different story.”
What are these satellites like?
This satellite group also includes many such satellites, which are capable of taking high-resolution images, recognizing changes happening on the ground, detecting hidden objects and continuously keeping an eye on strategically important areas. Pakistan’s hyperspectral satellite HS-1, to be launched in October 2025, can distinguish between different types of materials and identify objects that may escape the attention of ordinary optical sensors. New satellites like PRSC-EO2 and PRSC-EO3 include advanced imaging and AI-assisted data processing capabilities.
Many satellites were launched from Chinese rockets
China has a big role in this progress. Many of these satellites were launched from Chinese rockets, while some others were developed in collaboration with Pakistani and Chinese institutions. Experts believe that this partnership is not limited to just launch service, but also includes arrangements for technology transfer, satellite design and data-sharing.
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