India's security agencies have invited private startups to create satellites that can act as bodyguards, as the nation increases its focus on safeguarding its space assets amid escalating geopolitical tensions.

According to reports, there are plans for additional launches to occur either by the end of the current year or in the beginning of the next year.

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It is anticipated that following these launches, government agencies will procure the technology and utilize it to create a larger number of bodyguard satellites.

India has recently heightened its focus on the potential national security risk brought about by foreign spacecraft, following a border dispute with Pakistan last year.

As part of the conflict, China assisted Pakistan by furnishing satellite aid which assisted Islamabad in enhancing its radar and air defense capabilities, according to a study conducted by a research team affiliated with India's defense ministry in May.

The push to implement preventive measures was spurred by a close call in 2024, when a spacecraft from an unidentified neighboring nation came within one kilometer of an Indian satellite engaged in potentially military-related activities, such as mapping and surveillance of terrestrial objects, according to a report from Bloomberg News in September.

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The initiatives became more pressing for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government after the military conflict with Pakistan last year, which nearly escalated into a full-scale war between the two nations.

Satellites were heavily utilized to detect and track targets during the four-day standoff, exposing certain deficiencies that New Delhi is currently addressing by enhancing its monitoring capabilities.

Anil Bhatt, the former chief of military operations and current director general at the Indian Space Association, emphasized the likeliness of satellite disruption, highlighting the necessity for nations aspiring to excel in the space sector to develop both kinetic and non-kinetic defenses for their assets.

According to reports, China is engaging in maneuvers known as "dogfighting" with satellites as part of its growing capabilities in space. The defense ministry of Japan has initiated the development of a prototype for protective satellites in response to the threat posed by hostile "killer satellites" from foreign nations, as reported by the media last year. Similarly, the European Defense Fund has been exploring the possibility of such a project since at least 2023.

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China’s rise as a prominent space superpower, along with its impressive technological capabilities, has heightened security worries. China has been conducting tests with bodyguard satellites for some time and may have acquired the ability to interfere with or communicate with other satellites, despite its delicate relationship with India.

Indian startups are currently in the process of creating two variations of defensive satellites. One version features a robotic appendage capable of connecting with and maneuvering spacecraft perceived as engaging in aggressive behavior by India. The other variant is intended to address the threat posed by smaller satellites targeting Indian space assets by encapsulating them within a protective enclosure, relocating them afterward.