Pakistan attempts to build a satellite surveillance network

With cooperation from China, Türkiye and Europe

Islamabad – After the weaknesses exposed during India’s ‘Operation Sindoor’, Pakistan has begun taking measures to address the gaps. At that time, Pakistan lacked the capability to monitor the movement of Indian forces. To overcome this, Pakistan has now begun efforts to enhance its satellite-based surveillance capabilities. Pakistan is focusing on developing its own capacity to launch and operate surveillance satellites. For this, it is receiving assistance from Türkiye and China, while also seeking support from Europe. Post-operation assessments have revealed that several other Pakistani facilities are equally vulnerable.

Pakistan plans to launch a ‘Synthetic Aperture Radar’ satellite with Chinese assistance during 2026–27. Recently, several Chinese experts were seen at SUPARCO, Pakistan’s space agency, clearly indicating that China is helping Pakistan upgrade its surveillance capability.