Guwahati: Assam has moved closer to launching what it describes as India’s first state-owned Earth observation satellite network.CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said the process had reached the final stage of selecting a private partner to build and operate AssamSAT.The project is being designed as a constellation of at least five synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO), aimed at providing Assam with near-continuous, all-weather Earth observation capabilities.Fourteen companies have submitted expressions of interest to design, build, launch and operate the system, train and eventually hand over the system under a DBLOTT model.“Earlier this year, we invited Expressions of Interest to select an implementation partner under the DBLOTT model. Following strong interest from India’s private space sector companies, we are now in the final and critical stage of partner selection, with dedicated committees evaluating the proposals,” Sarma wrote on X.He added, “AssamSAT marks a landmark shift – from Assam being a user of satellite data to an active participant in the space-tech ecosystem, enabling faster, evidence-based governance.”Proposed as a cluster of radar satellites in low Earth orbit, AssamSAT is expected to provide near-continuous, all-weather imagery of Assam’s flood-affected riverbanks, erosion-prone areas, wildlife corridors, border stretches and infrastructure projects.For the first time, a state govt will not just use central satellite data but command its own dedicated stream of high-frequency, customised SAR data – turning space technology into a real-time governance asset for disaster management, security and development planning.The state govt made the first proposal in its 2025-26 annual budget to have its own satellite in collaboration with IN-SPACe (Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Center) of Department of Space, Govt of India.The objective is “to ensure a continuous, reliable flow of data for the implementation of critical socio-economic projects,” and to provide “dedicated services for agriculture, disaster management, infrastructure development, and security border management and police operations.”The govt also proposes to also ignite the imagination of the students of colleges of Assam with the support of INSPACE/ISRO by involving them in building experimental satellites.The move rides on a growing regional talent pipeline. Assam Don Bosco University’s LACHIT‑1 flew on PSLV‑C62 on Jan 12. Although the launch failed at the third stage, the students and faculty from Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur retained a functional ground station and an ISRO‑validated workflow.In parallel, ISRO is setting up an Rs 81.82-crore satellite earth station near Ledo in Tinsukia to strengthen space communication in the northeast.
