Private space companies in India are eyeing more than eight commercial rocket launches by FY28 — 440 space technology startups registered to date. Their innovations also significantly impact the ground level, with satellites, communication constellations, and indigenous navigation networks watching closely.

The use of geospatial intelligence for agricultural fields, disaster response rooms, and administrative workflows has gained fresh impetus after the space sector opened to private players in 2023. Efforts led by ISRO since the 80s have now found additional support as these startups use satellite data, hyperspectral imaging, and AI analytics to monitor processes.

According to details shared by Union Minister Jitendra Singh in Parliament, space technology is now seeing rapid adoption in agriculture, disaster management and governance. A written reply to the Rajya Sabha also noted that IN-SPACe had also joined hands with various non-government entities for development of “innovative applications” that use space technology.

Smart agriculture and data-backed farming

Satellite technology developed by ISRO has also found earth-bound uses in recent years — used to monitor crops, predict yield and provide realtime data about weather patterns. Indian agritech companies have also stepped into the arena, leveraging artificial intelligence and satellite remote sensing to create hyperlocal updates. These inputs can be used at scale (such as government projects) or sent directly to the smartphone of a farmer, alerting them to precise crop stress, soil moisture levels, and impending localised weather shifts.

Agro-meteorological data and space imagery has rapidly transformed farming into a data-backed decision-making process. The Indian government has long funded programs led by the Indian Space Research Organisation for crop production monitoring, with private companies gaining formal access to the space sector following the Indian Space Policy of 2023.  

“Satellite-based crop area or yield estimation, crop monitoring and soil moisture products supported national programmes and PMFBY across major crops and states; GeoCREST, Potato Crop Monitoring System and VEDAS-based geospatial yield estimation were operationalised,” Singh told the Rajya Sabha.

For the uninitiated, PMFBY is an acronym for the government sponsored crop insurance scheme called Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana. The Geospatial Crop Estimation and Yield-assessment System is an automated space-technology application developed by ISRO and the Department of Space to monitor crops. And VEDAS refers to the ISRO-developed Visualisation of Earth Observation Data and Archival System. It uses satellite data and vegetation indices to monitor crop health, track seasonal changes, and estimate agricultural yields across the country.

Projects such as FASAL predict crop output well before harvest, while synthetic aperture radar sensors on board satellites can help measure soil moisture content and other surface-level details. Another example is the CHAMAN project which uses remote sensing and Geographic Information System tools to identify ideal zones for high-value horticultural crops.

Key space-tech projects used in India for agricultural support:

  • FASAL (Forecasting Agricultural output using Space, Agro-meteorology and Land-based observations)
  • Disaster monitoring & assessment (Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre / MNCFC)
  • Krishi Decision Support System (Krishi-DSS)
  • YESTECH (Yield Estimation System based on Technology)

Coping with climate change

Various parts of India have become increasingly vulnerable to cyclones, flash floods, landslides and heatwaves in recent years. Space technology can help reduce loss of life through rapid response — with near-real-time satellite-based monitoring of weather patterns and support for disaster response. 

A strong example is the use of five ISRO satellites to enable evacuation of more than 11 lakh people along the Odisha coast during Cyclone Fani in 2019. They were also used to monitor Cyclone Dana as it formed in the Bay of Bengal two years ago. On October 2024, ISRO wrote that its polar orbiting satellite EOS-06 Scatterometer sensor had provided the status of ocean winds and their circulation well before the formation of the cyclone. The geostationary satellite INSAT-3DR also provided regular updates on the storm status. 

“A catastrophic flash flood triggered by intense rainfall caused debris-laden flows over Dharali and Harsil villages of Uttarakhand in August 2025. The sudden deluge swept away homes, buildings, bridges, roads, and claimed human lives. National Remote Sensing Centre and ISRO carried out a rapid assessment of the damage using very high-resolution satellite images of India’s Cartosat-2S satellites. The comparative analysis of post-event satellite images and available cloud-free pre-event data revealed the extent and severity of the destruction,” the space agency added in another statement. 

According to the government, over 890 flood products and alerts for more than 11 major landslide events were disseminated through the Home Ministry and disaster response teams and the state and central level. The BHUVAN geoportal run by ISRO was also involved in the process — providing satellite imagery, vector data, and thematic maps useful for tracking natural events and planning relief. Another key tool highlighted by the government is the National Database for Emergency Management that was established by ISRO to provide near-real-time satellite data and emergency monitoring tools.  

According to official data shared by the Space Ministry, climate-related parameters — such as Chlorophyll-a concentration, sea surface wind currents, wind stress, and surface-level winds — are now derived from the EOS-06 satellite mission (using Ocean Colour Monitor-3 and Scatterometer sensors) and Cloud products from INSAT-3DS. A satellite based Extreme Weather Nowcasting tool has also been developed and deployed for assessment by the weather department.

“Landslide Atlas of India was developed and techniques for landslide alerts using susceptibility, InSAR-based slope movement and rainfall thresholds are being developed; flood early warning and forest-fire alert services are operational, including eight daily observations with less than 30 minutes turnaround time,” Singh added this week.

Solving administrative bottlenecks

Geospatial technologies have also been used to support the planning and monitoring of various  government schemes — including the recently overhauled MGNREGA and WDC-PMKSY as well as panchayat assets and disaster management through Yuktdhara, Bhuvan Panchayat and NDEM. According to the Centre, about 6.93 crore MGNREGA and 6.89 lakh watershed activities have been geotagged.

“National Database for Emergency Management (NDEM 5.0), released in June 2024, provides sub-metre satellite data, multilingual data labels and near-real-time disaster alerts, forming a core geospatial solution for the Integrated Control Room for Emergency Response,” Singh told the Rajya Sabha. 

Space technology has also been used to support the Urban Frame Survey, Green Cover Index for National Highways, UIDAI navigation, property-tax mapping, urban water management, AMRUT 2.0, disaster management, telecom services and Digital Postal Address initiatives. It aids BharatNet and Digital India by extending connectivity to rural areas and enabling broadband, secure government and strategic communications, DTH, VSAT, in-flight/maritime connectivity, teleeducation, tele-medicine and disaster management. 

Collaboration with private companies

Private companies had first gained access to the space sector following the Indian Space Policy of 2023. The document defined the roles and responsibilities of all the contributors to the national space ecosystem. State governments were subsequently urged to establish dedicated space manufacturing clusters to strengthen the domestic supply chain, attract investments, and create an integrated space industrial ecosystem. 

MoS Jitendra Singh also highlighted several high-impact areas where ISRO now is collaborating with non-government entities:

  • Pest and disease forecasting and early detection systems for major crops across India.
  • AI/ML-based systems for crop acreage estimation, yield assessment, and production forecasting. 
  • Development of crop insurance support and weather advisory systems. 
  • SAR-based agricultural applications leveraging NISAR data for irrigation planning and management. 
  • Reservoir rim slope stability monitoring to mitigate dam failure risks and associated disasters. 
  • Glacial Lake Outburst Flood monitoring and Early Warning Systems. 
  • Development of Maritime Domain Awareness solutions. 
  • Decision Support Systems for power sector infrastructure monitoring and Right-of-Way management. 
  • Urban infrastructure information systems and smart governance solutions. 

Challenges ahead

The immense potential of geospatial intelligence is also tempered by logistical constraints at this time. Real-time satellite data can be ineffective in areas with limited smartphone penetration, and dense cloud cover in monsoons can hinder flood monitoring efforts. 

There are also human-made silos and processing bottlenecks as satellite data is integrated between central ministries, state departments, local panchayats, and private insurance players. Fragmented records and delays in ground-level verification can, for example, lead to delays in insurance claim settlements or disaster relief payouts.