Opinion: India's New Surveillance Challenge From Pakistan Lies 500 km Above Earth

Updated: Jun 19, 2026 23:13 pm IST Published On Jun 19, 2026 23:03 pm IST Last Updated On Jun 19, 2026 23:13 pm IST

Published On Jun 19, 2026 23:03 pm IST

Last Updated On Jun 19, 2026 23:13 pm IST

A US-based firm recently shared a post on LinkedIn explaining how Pakistan's earth observation satellite, PRSC EO3, is an anomaly because of its orbit. The US-based company COMSPOC found that the electro-optical imagery satellite, which requires sunlight to capture images of the ground, was placed in a 38-degree inclined orbit around Earth. The orbit is unusual for an optical imagery satellite, with a sun-synchronous inclination of nearly 90 degrees.

COMSPOC says the satellite sacrifices global coverage, but it allows it to capture Pakistan, Jammu and Kashmir and the rest of India, with frequent visits. Additionally, ThePrint, in its investigation, found that Pakistan's latest earth observation satellite network has grown since 2025, allowing it to capture changes in India and the Indian Ocean region through its orbital architecture. ThePrint's report states that these satellites are mapping India at least twice every two days.

I dug deeper into Pakistan's satellite network, tracking its position and revisit rates using open-source satellite monitoring platforms, and found that its Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites capture India, the Bay of Bengal, and the Arabian Sea multiple times, providing nearly real-time intelligence on activities in India. While the counterargument to the observation from Pakistan could be that they share a border with India, therefore, it will naturally capture, however, each satellite, especially PRSC EO3, makes multiple visits over India, covering territory from south to north during the entire day.

During this investigation, I monitored five Pakistani satellites: PRSC EO1, PRSC EO2, PRSC EO3, PRSC HS-1, PRSS-1, and PakTes-1a. While PRSS-1 was a joint venture between Pakistan and China, the others were developed by Pakistan's Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO). These assets, launched in 2018 (PRSS-1 and PakTES-1A) and between 2025 and 2026, comprise a seven-satellite constellation. Additionally, although PRSS-2 is another Sino-Pakistani project, its real-time location remains unconfirmed for this investigation.

What Makes It Unusual?

ThePrint's report provides a useful starting point for understanding the orbital configuration of Pakistan's satellites. My investigation found that three of Pakistan's low Earth orbit (LEO) Earth-observation satellites-PRSC-HS1, PRSS-EO1 and PakTES-1A-orbit at inclinations between 97 and 98 degrees, placing them in near-polar sun-synchronous orbits.

The sun synchronous orbit of PakTES-1a. Time: Unknown

Sun-synchronous orbits are particularly useful for surveillance, reconnaissance and Earth observation missions because they allow satellites to pass over the same location at nearly the same local time during each revisit. For example, if a satellite images Delhi at 10 a.m. IST during one pass, it will capture the city at roughly........

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