India is preparing a project to better protect its satellites in space after a recent close encounter exposed security risks from other nations’ spacecraft, according to experts.

The plan, pushed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, includes building “bodyguard satellites” to detect and counter threats in orbit. Officials say the urgency grew after a satellite from a neighbouring country came dangerously close to an Indian spacecraft last year.

The near miss happened in mid-2024 when an ISRO satellite orbiting 500–600 kilometres above Earth almost collided with another nation’s spacecraft. The foreign satellite came within just 1 kilometer of the Indian one, which was performing defence-linked tasks like mapping and ground monitoring.

Although no collision took place, the unusually close pass was seen as a possible show of strength. Neither ISRO nor the Department of Space responded to requests for comment.

The satellite-protection plan is part of a larger effort to boost India’s presence in space. The government has already approved a ₹27,000 crore ($3 billion) programme to launch around 50 surveillance satellites, with the first expected to go up next year.

India has faced decades of military tensions with Pakistan and China, both of which maintain satellites in orbit. Data from tracking site N2Y0.com shows that Pakistan has 8 satellites, India more than 100, while China leads with over 930.

“China’s satellite program has grown in scale and sophistication,” Indian Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit warned in June during a seminar in New Delhi.

To strengthen defences, the government is exploring advanced systems like Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) satellites, which can spot threats faster and give operators time to move satellites out of harm’s way.

These would likely work alongside ground-based radars and telescopes. “We do not have such in-orbit tracking capability on a 24x7 basis, but some of the startups are working on it,” said Sudheer Kumar N, former director at ISRO’s Capacity Building Program Office.

ISRO has already proven its value in security operations. During the armed clash between India and Pakistan in May, more than 400 scientists worked nonstop to support Earth observation and communication satellites, ISRO chairman V. Narayanan said earlier this month.

A defence ministry-linked research group also reported that China helped Pakistan during that conflict by adjusting Islamabad’s satellite coverage.

The fresh push for bodyguard satellites signals India’s determination to secure its growing space assets in an increasingly contested orbit.