Space-based surveillance: Dhruva to get key systems worth €5m from Safran

French aerospace major Safran Space signed key contracts worth over €5 million with Indian space-tech startup Dhruva Space. BENGALURU: French firm Safran Space, under contracts worth more than €5 million, will supply critical systems, including optical payloads, for satellites being built as part of India’s Space-Based Surveillance-3 (SBS-3) programme by Dhruva Space, a release from the French President’s Office has confirmed.The contracts, signed during the International Space Summit in Paris, cover communication systems, inertial navigation units, optical payloads and ground stations for the constellation, which is planned to be deployed between 2027 and 2030.SBS-3, a strategic project approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security, will comprise 52 satellites in low Earth and geostationary orbits and is aimed at providing the armed forces with persistent surveillance, secure communications and greater situational awareness across India’s land and maritime areas of interest.The programme marks an expansion of the private sector’s role in India’s strategic space capabilities. Of the 52 satellites, 31 are to be built by private industry, with the remaining 21 being built by Isro. The private-sector allocation has been divided among three companies: Antaris will build 15 satellites, while Pixxel and Dhruva Space will build eight each.Dhruva’s eight satellites therefore form part of the private-sector component of the larger SBS-3 constellation, rather than a separate constellation. The programme is expected to improve the frequency with which strategic areas can be observed and strengthen India’s ability to monitor developments along its borders and across the Indian Ocean Region.The Safran contracts will give Dhruva access to a range of French technologies for the satellites and associated ground infrastructure. Safran said the cooperation illustrates the rise of Indian New Space and the ability of French industry to support the development of India’s sovereign space capabilities. The company also said the partnership could open the way to further cooperation under future phases of the SBS programme.The Paris summit also produced two other India-related announcements. French launch-services provider RIDE! signed an agreement to launch two satellites for TakeMeToSpace, an Indian company developing orbital data centres. The deal builds on RIDE!’s collaboration with Indian space companies, including the launch of a European atmospheric re-entry capsule aboard Isro’s PSLV. Separately, French Earth-observation company U-Space and Indian company Axiscades signed a commercial cooperation agreement to explore the Indian microsatellite market, addressing both commercial and institutional demand.Together, the three announcements point to a widening India-France space relationship spanning strategic surveillance, satellite launches and commercial satellite manufacturing, with Indian private companies increasingly at the centre of the cooperation. Chethan Kumar is a Senior Assistant Editor with the Times of India. Aside from specialising in Space & Science, he has reported extensively on varied topics, with special focus on defence, policy and data stories. He has covered multiple elections, too. As a young democracy grows out of adolescence, Chethan feels, there are reels of tales emerging which need to be captured. To do this, he alternates between the mundane goings-on of the Common Man and the wonder-filled worlds of scientists and scamsters, politicians and soldiers. In a career spanning nearly 18 years, he has reported from multiple datelines — Houston, Florida, Kochi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Sriharikota (AP), NH-1 (J&K Highway), New Delhi, Ahmedabad, Raichur, Bhatkal, Mysuru, Chamarajanagar, to name a few — but is based out of Bengaluru, India’s science capital that also hosts the ISRO HQ.