BENGALURU: More than four months after India’s space regulator-cum-promoter Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) announced the winners of India’s first EO Satellite System (EOSS) under PPP, a concession agreement is expected to be signed as early as this week, allowing the winning consortium to finally begin work on ground. “It has taken longer than expected, but the [concession] agreement is now expected to be signed shortly, after which work on the project can finally move from paper to the ground,” a source familiar with the matter confirmed to TOI.
TOI had reported in Aug 2025 that the consortium had won the project through a “zero-bid”. While the concession agreement was to be signed within three months, delay in processes will see the agreement be signed this week. Another source said that if all goes as planned it could happen in the “first-half” of this week at Isro headquarters in Bengaluru. The project, which will create a constellation of 12 satellites, assumes importance not only because it has the private sector at its heart, but also in the backdrop of the persistent gap in strategic space assets and demand.The data from the satellites will be used for applications ranging from climate change monitoring and disaster response to agriculture, infrastructure planning, maritime operations, and national security, where there are huge gaps so far as having eyes in the sky is concerned. The consortium of Pixxel Space, Piersight Space, Satsure Analytics India, and Dhruva Space is expected to implement the project through Allied Orbits. IN-SPACe chairman Pawan Goenka had told TOI after announcing the winning consortium that the project would be implemented through a special purpose vehicle (SPV).Over the next four to five years, the consortium is expected to invest more than Rs 1,200 crore to create a constellation of 12 satellites in low-Earth orbit. The project is designed to enhance India’s data sovereignty and reduce dependence on foreign imagery. All satellites will be manufactured in India, launched on Indian rockets, and controlled from ground infrastructure within the country.IN-SPACe described the programme as a paradigm shift in India’s space policy – one that places private enterprise at the heart of building national capability. As per IN-SPACe: “Satellites will carry a mix of panchromatic, multispectral, hyperspectral, and microwave sensors, capable of delivering high-resolution, analysis-ready geospatial data…”In addition to meeting India’s own needs, the consortium is expected to be allowed to sell analysis-ready data and value-added services commercially.
