Bengaluru: India’s space regulator has taken a step toward commercialising the country’s satellite infrastructure, inviting private firms to build and operate ground stations inside one of the Indian Space Research Organisation‘s (Isro) important facilities, the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC).The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) has issued an expression of interest (EoI) seeking up to three Indian companies to establish and run satellite ground stations within the NRSC campus at Shadnagar, on the outskirts of Hyderabad.As per the EoI accessed by TOI, the initiative is aimed at seeding a private “Ground Station as a Service” (GSaaS) ecosystem in the country, enabling commercial operators to receive satellite data, track spacecraft, and sell communication support services to domestic and international clients.“The identified site spans approximately 9.15 acres within the NRSC premises, physically separated from existing agency facilities through dedicated fencing and access controls. Eligible operators would be permitted to install S-, X-, and Ka-band ground stations — frequency ranges critical for modern Earth observation and telecommunications satellites,” as per the EOI.A central draw of the Shadnagar location is its protection against radio frequency interference, particularly in the Ka-band. While portions of the 24.25–27.5 GHz spectrum have been earmarked for 5G deployment elsewhere in India, a 2.7-km exclusion zone has been mandated around five Department of Space sites, including Shadnagar.This regulatory buffer makes the campus unusually well-suited for Ka-band data reception — an increasingly essential capability as newer remote sensing missions rely on the band to downlink high-resolution imagery at speed.IN-SPACe has offered interested companies two routes to participation. Under the first model, firms may lease abandoned antenna pedestals and control rooms on ten- or twenty-year terms and upgrade or rebuild the structures as required. This is an approach that allows relatively quick deployment.The second is a “plug-and-play” arrangement in which Isro and IN-SPACe would construct ready-to-use facilities capable of supporting antennas up to 7.5 metres in diameter, engineered to withstand wind speeds of 200 kmph. That option, however, is expected to take between 12 and 18 months before handover.The EoI arrives against a backdrop of rapidly expanding satellite constellations and Earth observation missions globally, driving strong demand for high-capacity ground infrastructure that can receive and process large data volumes close to real time.Equally significant is what the announcement signals institutionally: Opening sensitive technical infrastructure inside an Isro campus to private commercial operators. Companies interested in participating have until June 25 to submit responses. An open-house discussion and site visit at Shadnagar is scheduled for June 19.
