India is preparing to place a new high-resolution surveillance asset in orbit at a time when satellite-based imaging has become central to defence planning, disaster response and terrain assessment.
Earth-observation
missions worldwide have steadily shifted from broad-band cameras to more advanced spectral instruments capable of identifying materials, detecting concealed objects and reading changes in land conditions with far greater precision.
In this context, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to launch the Earth Observation Satellite-N1 (EOS-N1) Anvesha aboard the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-C62 (PSLV-C62) mission today.
Developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Anvesha is a hyperspectral Earth-observation satellite designed to provide India with sharper surveillance and terrain-classification capability. The rocket is scheduled to lift off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, at 10.18 a.m.
This flight also marks the PSLV’s return after its 2025 anomaly. Alongside Anvesha, the mission carries 15 domestic and international co-passenger satellites, including seven from Hyderabad-based Dhruva Space, reflecting the increasing depth of India’s private space ecosystem.
What EOS-N1 Anvesha Brings To India’s Surveillance Capabilities
Anvesha has been developed by DRDO’s Instruments Research & Development Establishment (IRDE) as a mini-satellite weighing between 100 and 150 kilograms. It will operate in a low Earth orbit of around 600 kilometres. Its core strength lies in its hyperspectral imaging payload, which captures hundreds of narrow spectral bands rather than the three broad colour channels commonly associated with satellite imagery.
Each natural or artificial surface reflects light in a unique pattern across these narrow bands. By capturing this information, Anvesha can identify materials, differentiate between vegetation types, read soil characteristics, detect moisture levels and distinguish camouflage from the natural environment with far greater accuracy than standard optical sensors.
Lt General AK Bhat (Retd), Director General of the Indian Space Association (ISpA), described the capability clearly: “This breakthrough technology enables hyperspectral imaging across hundreds of narrow spectral bands, far surpassing conventional RGB imaging.”
“It will deliver unprecedented capabilities for material identification, strategic surveillance and national security, including applications in missile defence monitoring,” he said to The Hindu.
For the armed forces, this means a higher-fidelity picture of ground conditions and infrastructure, especially in sensitive border regions where visibility, terrain strength and concealment play a significant role in operational decisions.
How Hyperspectral Imaging Actually Works
Every material interacts with light differently. Water absorbs parts of the spectrum, while vegetation reflects others. Hyperspectral sensors capture these fine differences, producing what experts call a “spectral signature”. To decode these signatures, scientists create spectral libraries using instruments such as spectroradiometers, which measure reflected light from pure samples of soil, water, vegetation or man-made surfaces.
Once a satellite like Anvesha captures spectral data, automated systems compare it with these libraries to classify or identify what lies on the ground. When combined with mapping tools and 3D terrain models, hyperspectral imaging allows more precise route planning, risk assessment after natural disasters and better monitoring of concealed or suspicious structures.
These capabilities extend beyond defence. They support agricultural monitoring, climate studies, mineral surveys and search-and-rescue operations. With hyperspectral data, it becomes possible to detect early signs of crop stress, monitor environmental degradation or assess flood impact with much finer detail.
Inside The Payload Electronics: The Role Of Indian Industry
A significant portion of Anvesha’s sophistication comes from its payload electronics, designed to operate, calibrate and process the hyperspectral sensor’s output. Centum Electronics Ltd, a core member of ISpA, developed the entire payload electronics suite for IRDE. According to Lt General Bhat, the system controls the detector, distributes power, conditions analogue signals, digitises the data and formats the hyperspectral output for downlink to ground stations.
These subsystems are crucial for maintaining the sensor’s performance during orbit, ensuring the data is synchronised, stable and ready for analysis. The involvement of private industry at this level illustrates how defence-space missions are gradually shifting toward a more collaborative ecosystem that includes government laboratories and specialised Indian companies.
Anvesha And India’s Rapidly Expanding Military Space Roadmap
Anvesha is the second DRDO satellite of this class to be launched in under five years. In 2021, DRDO deployed Sindhu Netra, designed to help the Indian Navy track maritime activity in the South China Sea and surrounding waters.
India’s military space plans have accelerated since Operation Sindoor. In October 2024, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved a major expansion of India’s surveillance constellation under Phase III of the Space-Based Surveillance (SBS-III) programme. With an allocation of around Rs 26,968 crore, the initiative includes plans to launch 52 dedicated military surveillance satellites to enhance border monitoring and intelligence-gathering capability.
Anvesha adds hyperspectral depth to this emerging network, providing a layer of material-identification and concealment-detection that conventional electro-optical or radar satellites cannot offer on their own.
PSLV-C62: ISRO’s Workhorse Returns After A Setback
Today’s launch is ISRO’s first PSLV mission since the May 2025 anomaly in the rocket’s third stage. The PSLV has enabled several of India’s landmark missions, including Chandrayaan-1, the Mars Orbiter Mission, Aditya-L1 and Astrosat, and has long been regarded as one of the world’s most reliable medium-lift launchers.
ISRO Chairman Dr V Narayanan underlined the significance of the return to flight in a statement to NDTV: “India’s workhorse rocket will show what ISRO can do for user agencies. The main passenger protects India from the skies and the smaller co-passengers signify how India’s private space sector is flourishing with just one Hyderabad company Dhruva Space contributing to seven satellites, setting a new benchmark.”
The mission is also the ninth dedicated commercial flight undertaken by NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL), ISRO’s commercial arm.
A Diverse Cluster Of Co-Passengers: Dhruva Space Leads The Pack
The PSLV-C62 mission carries 15 co-passenger satellites alongside Anvesha. A standout feature of this flight is the contribution of Dhruva Space, which is providing seven satellites, the largest contribution by a single Indian private company on one mission.
These satellites include platforms for connectivity, remote sensing and academic research, developed with institutions such as Dayanand Sagar University, CV Raman Global University and Assam Don Bosco University.
Dhruva Space is supplying satellite deployers and also offering ground station support. The company has recently secured India’s first licence for ground station-as-a-service from the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), enabling it to provide communications support for both Indian and international missions.
The other payloads on board include satellites from France, Nepal, Brazil and the United Kingdom. The manifest also features the Kestrel Initial Technology Demonstrator (KID), a small prototype re-entry vehicle developed by Spanish start-up Orbital Paradigm. After deployment, KID is expected to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere and splash down in the South Pacific Ocean, making it one of the more unusual co-passengers on the mission.
OrbitAID Aerospace’s AayulSAT, an experimental payload testing in-orbit refuelling concepts, is also part of the launch.
Why PSLV-C62 Matters For India’s Space Future
The PSLV-C62 mission brings together three major strands of India’s evolving space landscape. It marks the PSLV’s return and reinforces confidence after last year’s failure. It places in orbit a DRDO hyperspectral satellite that enhances India’s surveillance, mapping and national-security capability. And it showcases the maturity of India’s private sector, which is moving beyond small payloads to building satellites, deploying them and operating ground infrastructure.
If the launch proceeds as planned, the mission will strengthen India’s position as a dependable launch provider and underscore the country’s shift toward a more integrated, multi-stakeholder space ecosystem.
