Pakistan has accelerated its space programme at a pace not seen in decades, launching six Earth-observation satellites between January 2025 and June 2026.
According to a ThePrint investigation, all six were placed in Sun-synchronous orbits suited to surveillance, and the constellation is mapping Indian territory at least once every two days.
The satellites are also monitoring other strategically significant regions, including Afghanistan, China, Iran and the northern Indian Ocean.
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-#Pakistan has launched 6 Earth observation satellites in 16 months (Jan'25 – Jun'26)
— Insightful Geopolitics (@InsightGL) June 8, 2026
-Of course, all were with significant assistance of #China
-But that is besides the point
-Pakis are marking a rapid expansion of its surveillance capabilities focused primarily on #India
-While… pic.twitter.com/2pavhJDIpx
A long-slumbering programme stirs anew
The report traced the launch sequence back to January 2025, when Pakistan’s Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission, or SUPARCO, launched PAUSAT-1 on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.
Three days later, it sent up PRSC-EO1 aboard China’s Long March-2D. The launches continued through the year with PRSS-2, HS-1 and additional missions, which marked a revival in Pakistan’s long-dormant space programme.
Since SUPARCO was set up in 1961, the agency has carried out 15 satellite launches in total, with six of them taking place in the last 16 months.
Pakistan’s spy satellite n/w watching India has grown faster than ever in just 16 months
— Varun Karthikeyan (@Varun55484761) June 8, 2026
An investigation by ThePrint finds 6 pak Earth-observation satellites launched in just 16 months. These satellites r carefully positioned to provide continuous imagery of Indian territory pic.twitter.com/fNcjQe1N5n
The matter merits a closer look
Experts view the pattern as more than a routine civilian expansion.
Sudhir Pillai, a former Indian Navy flag officer, argued in a blog post that the pace represents a “structural discontinuity”.
A former ISRO official told that the emergence of the constellation is not a coincidence, while space-strategy expert Ashwin Prasad Rao said commercial Earth-observation imagery can be tasked by paying customers, including foreign governments.
Rao also said that civilian satellites can have military uses, and vice versa.
With a helping hand from the east
The launches work within a wider China-Pakistan partnership.
Pakistan’s recent satellites have benefited from Chinese technical and launch support, and a former ISRO official said, “Each inch of our territory is under surveillance.”
The satellites’ orbital layout and sensor capabilities suggest frequent passes over Jammu and Kashmir and parts of north India, allowing repeated imagery collection over a narrow corridor of strategic interest.
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An awkward contrast takes shape
The development comes amid India’s own recent space setbacks, saying three strategic satellite missions suffered losses between 2025 and 2026, including EOS-N1 and EOS-09.
The contrast has sharpened concerns about orbital surveillance, especially as Pakistan’s launches have come in quick succession after years of slow progress.
