New Delhi : India is preparing to launch so-called “bodyguard satellites” to protect its spacecraft from potential threats in orbit, after a close brush with a foreign satellite triggered fresh security concerns.

Near collision with foreign craft

Officials revealed that in mid-2024, a satellite from a neighbouring country came within one kilometre of an Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) satellite orbiting about 600 kilometres above Earth. The ISRO satellite was carrying out mapping and ground monitoring — tasks with possible military applications.

Though no collision occurred, the unusually close approach has been read as a potential show of strength, possibly designed to signal capability. Neither ISRO nor the Department of Space has publicly commented.

New space security pro

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