India’s space assets played a decisive role in ensuring national security during Operation Sindoor earlier this year, ISRO chairman V Narayanan has revealed, crediting satellites with safeguarding citizens in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack.
Speaking in Lucknow at the felicitation of IAF Group Captain and astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, Narayanan said that all of India’s 58 operational satellites had functioned “fantastically well” during the May campaign. “During Operation Sindoor, I want to tell silently, all our satellites worked fantastically well. Through our satellites, we ensured the safety and security of every citizen of Bharat in Operation Sindoor,” he said.
Operation Sindoor was launched on May 7 after terrorists killed 26 civilians in Pahalgam. The tri-services mission was conceived as a precise and punitive response to dismantle terror infrastructure across the Line of Control and deeper into Pakistan. An official release issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on May 14 also highlighted ISRO’s contribution.
Narayanan highlighted the strategic value of space technology for defence. “To ensure the safety of the country, the nation has to serve through its satellites. It has to monitor its 7,000 km seashore areas. It has to monitor the entire Northern part continuously. Without satellite and drone technology, the country can't achieve that,” he said. He recalled that at least 10 satellites had been working round-the-clock during the operation.
Also read: ISRO completes first air drop test for Gaganyaan mission
The ISRO chief disclosed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had directed the space agency to triple the number of satellites in orbit within three years, taking the figure well beyond the current 58. Looking further ahead, he reaffirmed India’s ambitious milestones: the launch of its own space station by 2035 and landing an Indian astronaut on the Moon by 2040. “We are building a rocket to take man to the moon. By 2040, he (PM Modi) has given direction to take man to the moon and land an Indian there and bring him back safely,” he said.
Turning to Shubhanshu Shukla, who recently returned from the International Space Station as part of the Axiom-4 mission, Narayanan described him as a “national pride” and a crucial contributor to India’s Gaganyaan programme. “I am extremely happy that my colleague has returned safely. He is really going to contribute to the Gaganyaan program. First of all, we have to thank the PM, as it is his vision that this program was executed. I have to thank the PM and at least 500 people of ISRO who have worked behind the scenes. This entire thing will be useful for the Gaganyaan program. What is required is confidence-building and some exposure in the training. That is what we have given. He's a national pride,” Narayanan said.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also met Shukla in Lucknow, where the astronaut attended a felicitation ceremony at his alma mater, City Montessori School in Gomtinagar.
Follow us
