{"id":66160,"date":"2024-03-06T16:46:21","date_gmt":"2024-03-06T16:46:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2024\/03\/06\/india-plans-to-spend-3-billion-on-space-can-it-catch-up-to-china\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T01:06:18","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T01:06:18","slug":"india-plans-to-spend-3-billion-on-space-can-it-catch-up-to-china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2024\/03\/06\/india-plans-to-spend-3-billion-on-space-can-it-catch-up-to-china\/","title":{"rendered":"India plans to spend $3 billion on space. Can it catch up to China?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Editor\u2019s note: Vivek Raghuvanshi, a journalist and freelancer to Defense News for more than three decades, was <\/i>jailed<\/i><\/a> in mid-May by India\u2019s Central Bureau of Investigation on charges of espionage. The Indian government has released minimal information on his arrest. Sightline Media Group, which owns Defense News, has not seen any evidence to substantiate these charges and repudiates attacks on press freedom.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand \u2014 India plans to spend about $3 billion on space-related contract awards over the next few years to reduce its dependence on foreign satellites and bolster its counter-space capabilities, according to the head of the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gen. Anil Chauhan\u2019s call to close the gap between India\u2019s own capabilities and other nations that are developing countermeasures in space comes amid tension with China<\/a>. The neighbors have clashed over a shared border area<\/a> in the eastern Ladakh region, with both sides in 2020 suffering casualties. In August 2023, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss<\/a> the unresolved border issue and try to deescalate the situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking at the DEFSAT conference, held Feb. 7-9 in New Delhi, Chauhan called for greater investment in India\u2019s military space sector and noted the military has already signed five contracts with the private sector, with four more being drawn up. In addition, the government plans to spend 250 billion Indian rupees \u2014 or about $3 billion \u2014 on contract awards over the next few years, he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the right time for the private industry to utilize this opportunity,\u201d Chauhan said. \u201cOur leadership has envisioned big targets for the nation, from space augmentation to space exploration.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sino-Indian space race<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

During his speech, Chauhan outlined several areas of focus for India\u2019s space sector. First, he called for an indigenous constellation of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance satellites equipped with optical and hyperspectral sensors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next, he said, the military cannot remain dependent on foreign constellations for positioning, navigation and timing requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe should also be investing in launch on-demand capabilities in the near future. As the national requirements of ISR, PNT and communication grow, this will resultantly increase the number of Indian satellites orbiting the space, [thus requiring the need for] securing these particular assets, which will require space situational awareness.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To fill these gaps, the general recommended high-speed satellite communications, a satellite-based internet of things and robust, ground-based infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
A dish antenna is seen inside the Indian Space Research Organisation’s Telemetry Tracking and Command Network facility on Aug. 23, 2023, in Bengaluru, India. (Abhishek Chinnappa\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLastly, when we are developing all this, I think we need to look at counter-space capabilities, which nations are developing, as a means of deterrence. And maybe this would be required in [the] future to safeguard our assets. In order to ensure that these capabilities are rightfully utilized, doctrinal and connected concepts need to be developed,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indeed, there is an inequality in China\u2019s space-based assets compared to those of India. According to the \u201cMilitary Balance\u201d report<\/a> released in February by the International Institute of Strategic Studies, China operates 245 military satellites, compared to India\u2019s 26. China also has a reusable spacecraft and counter-space technology, the London-based think tank found.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

China is certainly interested in dominating the space domain in terms of control and denying access to adversaries, according to Malcolm Davis, a senior analyst focused on space and Chinese military modernization at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019re also developing the counter-space capabilities to threaten U.S. and allied satellites and developing sophisticated launch capabilities that are moving much more toward reusable launch vehicles, heavy-lift and encouraging the growth of commercial space,\u201d he told Defense News. \u201cSo in every sense of the word, I think the Chinese are determined to overtake the U.S. in space.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

India is a major ally of the United States, whose own Defense Department warned last year of China\u2019s rise in space capabilities. Its report last year<\/a> asserted more than 290 systems made up China\u2019s ISR satellite fleet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe PLA [People\u2019s Liberation Army] owns and operates about half of the world\u2019s ISR systems, most of which could support monitoring, tracking, and targeting of U.S. and allied forces worldwide, especially throughout the Indo-Pacific region. These satellites also allow the PLA to monitor potential regional flashpoints, including the Korean Peninsula, Taiwan, Indian Ocean, and the SCS [South China Sea],\u201d the report noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, China has dozens of Yaogan-class satellites in orbit, with 54 dedicated to ISR and another 46 providing electronic or signals intelligence, per IISS data, gathered as late as November.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
A Long March-4C rocket carrying China’s Yaogan-31 remote sensing satellites lifts off from the country’s Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in 2021. (STR\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On Dec. 15, China launched the large Yaogan-41 optical satellite into geostationary orbit. There are also about five Huoyan-1 early warning satellites, and China is testing a quantum-enabled communications satellite that could lead to virtually unbreakable communications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beijing\u2019s progress in space, including the creation of its Strategic Support Force in 2015, which is responsible for nearly all PLA space operations, shows \u201cforward thinking,\u201d said David Stupples, an expert in space-based systems and professor at City, University of London.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cChina [has] a very agile military, and they follow the latest trends very quickly,\u201d he said, comparing the nation to the U.S. and NATO, which have historically focused more on kinetic capabilities. \u201cWarfare has changed a lot over the last four to five years: Whereas it was 90% kinetic and 10% electronic warfare, it\u2019s now probably 50% to 60% electronic warfare and 40% kinetic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

China also has its own facsimile of GPS. Known as BeiDou, this constellation has 45 satellites, with the final system launched in June 2020 to provide positioning accuracy at up to 5 meters (16 feet).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
China now has a fully functioning BeiDou navigation system to rival the American GPS. (Gordon Arthur\/Staff)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

China is also developing counter-space capabilities through direct-ascent technology, co-orbital systems, electronic warfare, cyberattacks and directed-energy weapons. These can deny access to and operations in the space domain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat you\u2019re seeing is that while the Chinese are developing [these] sort of direct-ascent, kinetic-kill anti-satellite [technology], the favored capability for them will be soft-kill systems that are either co-orbital or ground-based because they can deliver reversible, scalable effects, and they also don\u2019t create clouds of space debris,\u201d Davis said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asked whether China has interfered with foreign satellites, Davis said he hasn\u2019t heard of \u201cactual attacks so far, but what they\u2019re demonstrating \u2014 perfecting \u2014 is the technological means to do these sort of attacks in a crisis leading up to war, to exploit the gray zone attack using, for example, a dual-role commercial satellite that has an anti-satellite capability.\u201d (Gray zone military activities fall below the level of traditional armed conflict.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

China reportedly has multiple ground-based lasers that can disrupt, degrade or damage satellites, with the Pentagon describing the technology as a \u201ccurrent limited capability.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey do have lasers powerful enough at the moment probably to destroy a satellite in low Earth orbit,\u201d Stupples concurred. \u201cBut they\u2019re also developing satellite-killer satellites, which will go alongside another satellite and then aim a laser at the solar panels or antennas.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

China demonstrated its counter-space work with an anti-satellite test against a defunct weather satellite in 2007. It has continued to launch multiple anti-satellite missiles, like the SC-19 used in 2007, proving Beijing can target systems both in low-Earth and geosynchronous orbits. And in 2018, Lt. Gen. Robert Ashley, then-director of the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, warned<\/a> China was working on the ability to jam satellites from the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stupples said while the anti-satellite threat is \u201cvery serious,\u201d any attack would lead to fratricide due to the likelihood of American retaliation. \u201cWhat China has then said is: \u2018OK, you can do all of that, but we will flood space with our signals intelligence satellites and our reconnaissance satellites, etc., and therefore we\u2019ll make it very difficult to do that.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other notable Chinese capabilities include three tests of a reusable spaceplane and the fielding of transportable, quick-response, solid-fueled space launch vehicles. These could help the PLA rapidly reconstitute its low-Earth orbit capabilities by launching replacement satellites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

China\u2019s commercial constellations also benefit the government, Stupples noted. For instance, Beijing is working on its Guo Wang constellation that could include 13,000 satellites for widespread internet coverage \u2014 a concept similar to the Starlink network created by American firm SpaceX. The state-owned company SatNet is to operate this massive constellation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Juliana Suess, an analyst with the British think tank Royal United Services Institute, wrote in an article<\/a> that \u201cthere are many reasons why China would build a satellite-enabled internet constellation in LEO,\u201d not least of which is to expand its influence overseas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe existing strides that China has made in terms of soft power, specifically on the continent of Africa and with regard to internet infrastructure, suggest a relatively fast and easy plug-in into Guo Wang,\u201d she noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Playing catchup<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

In comparison, India\u2019s space efforts, historically headlined by the Indian Space Research Organisation, appear rather modest. But the country has achieved notable feats, including the July 14 launch of the Chandrayaan-3 mission into orbit, which then successfully landed on the moon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

M. Matheswaran, a retired Indian Air Force air marshal, told Defense News the major drivers for India\u2019s focus on space are the 1999 Kargil War, fought against Pakistan over disputed territory, and China\u2019s 2007 anti-satellite test. The Indian government eventually created its tri-service Defence Space Agency in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNow the government has brought out a new space policy opening up the space segment to the private sector,\u201d said Matheswaran, who leads The Peninsula Foundation, an India-based think tank. \u201cIndia is on the right track now to meeting both its civilian and military requirements, but the pace is not going to be comparable to China\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
An engineer works on a component at a Godrej Aerospace manufacturing plant, which makes parts for the Vikas and cryogenic engines for the Indian Space Research Organisation, in Mumbai on July 10, 2023. (Punit Paranjpe\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are startups that are doing well, and ISRO [Indian Space Research Organisation] is supporting them as well. That needs to be accelerated, which can only be achieved by adequate government and funding support,\u201d he added. \u201cI suppose India will close the gap, but catching up with where China is today is going to take a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stupples agreed India is \u201ca long way behind,\u201d citing a lack of research and funding for military space initiatives. \u201cIndia has the capability of launching satellites,\u201d he said, \u201cbut it doesn\u2019t have the impetus to develop this further. Its thinking is more like America\u2019s \u2014 you know, kinetic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year, the Indian government released a space policy to encourage developments in the domestic space sector through private participation. And in February 2024, the government approved a more liberal foreign direct investment policy to attract investors to the industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ISRO also announced plans for 30 space launches by March 2025; that\u2019s compared to an average of about three annually in recent years, Matheswaran said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, China plans to execute about 100 space launch missions this year, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among India\u2019s private sector, Tata Advanced Systems has emerged as a key player, with local media<\/a> reporting<\/a> it can build up to 24 LEO satellites annually. And the startup GalaxEye Space plans to launch its Drishti satellite this year equipped with synthetic aperture radar and multiple sensors to perform multispectral imaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Indian military is also eyeing December for the launch of its GSAT-7R communications satellite for the Navy, reportedly<\/a> followed by a 2026 deployment of the GSAT-7B that will provide the Army with its first dedicated communications satellite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

India is increasing its navigation capabilities with the so-called NavIC system; that constellation is to grow from seven satellites to 11<\/a> within the next five years. A decade later, the government hopes to have 26 satellites in operation to give India a GPS equivalent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But among India\u2019s production efforts are destructive aims. In 2019, the country test-fired an anti-satellite weapon<\/a> that destroyed a low-Earth orbit satellite and resulted in additional space debris. Modi said the test was \u201cnot against anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
A family watches Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi address the nation on March 27, 2019. The government had successfully tested an anti-satellite weapon. (Rajesh Kumar Singh\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

However, Matheswaran said the experiment was meant \u201cto send a message to the rest of the world, particularly to China, because they did it in 2007.\u2033 He said the move exhibited India\u2019s \u201ccapability to protect our assets in space, [showing] we have the ability to interfere with your assets in space as well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He agreed with Chauhan that India is overly reliant on foreign sources for surveillance data. \u201cWhen it comes to security-related issues, India cannot depend on that alone for our entire capability. There\u2019s no substitute for creating your complete independence in that capability from other countries, and therefore this is an urgent requirement.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In January, India and France signed a memorandum of understanding covering satellite launches and space exploration initiatives. The collaboration is expected to lead to a joint constellation of surveillance satellites focused on the Indian Ocean within four years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They key here is collaboration rather than dependence, Matheswaran said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDown the line, it should result in joint training, joint research and development and joint work, including industrial partnerships,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s the way to go.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A top Indian general says the military cannot remain dependent on foreign constellations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":118228,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single-post-featured-layout","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":23,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"9":{"categories":["space","home","newsletters","daily-brief","battlefield-tech"],"primary_category":"space"}}},"categories":[45,160,11,163,36,23],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3492],"class_list":["post-66160","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-asia-pacific","category-daily-news-roundup","category-global","category-military-space-report","category-newsletters","category-space"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"4S33QKQC7BBYNGE5NXVPDLHMTU","arc_canonical_url":"\/space\/2024\/03\/06\/india-plans-to-spend-3-billion-on-space-can-it-catch-up-to-china\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"featured-layout","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\nIndia plans to spend $3 billion on space. Can it catch up to China? - Defense News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A top Indian general says the military cannot remain dependent on foreign constellations.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"India plans to spend $3 billion on space. Can it catch up to China?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A top Indian general says the military cannot remain dependent on foreign constellations.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2024\/03\/06\/india-plans-to-spend-3-billion-on-space-can-it-catch-up-to-china\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Defense News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-03-06T16:46:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T01:06:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Gordon Arthur\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Gordon Arthur\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"11 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t \"@graph\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/space\\\/2024\\\/03\\\/06\\\/india-plans-to-spend-3-billion-on-space-can-it-catch-up-to-china\\\/#article\",\n\t \"isPartOf\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/space\\\/2024\\\/03\\\/06\\\/india-plans-to-spend-3-billion-on-space-can-it-catch-up-to-china\\\/\"\n\t },\n\t \"author\": {\n\t \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t },\n\t \"headline\": \"India plans to spend $3 billion on space. Can it catch up to China?\",\n\t \"datePublished\": \"2024-03-06T16:46:21+00:00\",\n\t \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T01:06:18+00:00\",\n\t \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/space\\\/2024\\\/03\\\/06\\\/india-plans-to-spend-3-billion-on-space-can-it-catch-up-to-china\\\/\"\n\t },\n\t \"wordCount\": 2244,\n\t \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t \"publisher\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\"\n\t },\n\t \"image\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/space\\\/2024\\\/03\\\/06\\\/india-plans-to-spend-3-billion-on-space-can-it-catch-up-to-china\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t },\n\t \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/GettyImages-1531892056.jpg.jpg\",\n\t \"articleSection\": [\n\t \"Asia Pacific\",\n\t \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t \"Global\",\n\t \"Military Space Report\",\n\t \"Newsletters\",\n\t \"Space\"\n\t ],\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"potentialAction\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t \"target\": [\n\t \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/space\\\/2024\\\/03\\\/06\\\/india-plans-to-spend-3-billion-on-space-can-it-catch-up-to-china\\\/#respond\"\n\t ]\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/space\\\/2024\\\/03\\\/06\\\/india-plans-to-spend-3-billion-on-space-can-it-catch-up-to-china\\\/\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/space\\\/2024\\\/03\\\/06\\\/india-plans-to-spend-3-billion-on-space-can-it-catch-up-to-china\\\/\",\n\t \"name\": \"India plans to spend $3 billion on space. Can it catch up to China? - Defense News\",\n\t \"isPartOf\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#website\"\n\t },\n\t \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/space\\\/2024\\\/03\\\/06\\\/india-plans-to-spend-3-billion-on-space-can-it-catch-up-to-china\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t },\n\t \"image\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/space\\\/2024\\\/03\\\/06\\\/india-plans-to-spend-3-billion-on-space-can-it-catch-up-to-china\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t },\n\t \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/GettyImages-1531892056.jpg.jpg\",\n\t \"datePublished\": \"2024-03-06T16:46:21+00:00\",\n\t \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T01:06:18+00:00\",\n\t \"description\": \"A top Indian general says the military cannot remain dependent on foreign constellations.\",\n\t \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/space\\\/2024\\\/03\\\/06\\\/india-plans-to-spend-3-billion-on-space-can-it-catch-up-to-china\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t },\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"potentialAction\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t \"target\": [\n\t \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/space\\\/2024\\\/03\\\/06\\\/india-plans-to-spend-3-billion-on-space-can-it-catch-up-to-china\\\/\"\n\t ]\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/space\\\/2024\\\/03\\\/06\\\/india-plans-to-spend-3-billion-on-space-can-it-catch-up-to-china\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/GettyImages-1531892056.jpg.jpg\",\n\t \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/GettyImages-1531892056.jpg.jpg\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/space\\\/2024\\\/03\\\/06\\\/india-plans-to-spend-3-billion-on-space-can-it-catch-up-to-china\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t \"itemListElement\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t \"position\": 1,\n\t \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t \"position\": 2,\n\t \"name\": \"Space\",\n\t \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/space\\\/\",\n\t \"ad_zone\": \"space\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t \"position\": 3,\n\t \"name\": \"India plans to spend $3 billion on space. Can it catch up to China?\"\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#website\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t \"name\": \"Defense News\",\n\t \"description\": \"Covering the politics, business and technology of defense | Defense News\",\n\t \"publisher\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\"\n\t },\n\t \"potentialAction\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t \"target\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t },\n\t \"query-input\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t }\n\t }\n\t ],\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\",\n\t \"name\": \"Defense News\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t \"logo\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/defensenews-logo-white.png\",\n\t \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/defensenews-logo-white.png\",\n\t \"caption\": \"Defense News\"\n\t },\n\t \"image\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t }\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t \"image\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t },\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"India plans to spend $3 billion on space. Can it catch up to China? - Defense News","description":"A top Indian general says the military cannot remain dependent on foreign constellations.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"India plans to spend $3 billion on space. Can it catch up to China?","og_description":"A top Indian general says the military cannot remain dependent on foreign constellations.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2024\/03\/06\/india-plans-to-spend-3-billion-on-space-can-it-catch-up-to-china\/","og_site_name":"Defense News","article_published_time":"2024-03-06T16:46:21+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T01:06:18+00:00","author":"Gordon Arthur","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Gordon Arthur","Est. reading time":"11 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2024\/03\/06\/india-plans-to-spend-3-billion-on-space-can-it-catch-up-to-china\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2024\/03\/06\/india-plans-to-spend-3-billion-on-space-can-it-catch-up-to-china\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"India plans to spend $3 billion on space. Can it catch up to China?","datePublished":"2024-03-06T16:46:21+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T01:06:18+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2024\/03\/06\/india-plans-to-spend-3-billion-on-space-can-it-catch-up-to-china\/"},"wordCount":2244,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2024\/03\/06\/india-plans-to-spend-3-billion-on-space-can-it-catch-up-to-china\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1531892056.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Asia Pacific","Daily News Roundup","Global","Military Space Report","Newsletters","Space"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2024\/03\/06\/india-plans-to-spend-3-billion-on-space-can-it-catch-up-to-china\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2024\/03\/06\/india-plans-to-spend-3-billion-on-space-can-it-catch-up-to-china\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2024\/03\/06\/india-plans-to-spend-3-billion-on-space-can-it-catch-up-to-china\/","name":"India plans to spend $3 billion on space. Can it catch up to China? - Defense News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2024\/03\/06\/india-plans-to-spend-3-billion-on-space-can-it-catch-up-to-china\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2024\/03\/06\/india-plans-to-spend-3-billion-on-space-can-it-catch-up-to-china\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1531892056.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2024-03-06T16:46:21+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T01:06:18+00:00","description":"A top Indian general says the military cannot remain dependent on foreign constellations.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2024\/03\/06\/india-plans-to-spend-3-billion-on-space-can-it-catch-up-to-china\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2024\/03\/06\/india-plans-to-spend-3-billion-on-space-can-it-catch-up-to-china\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2024\/03\/06\/india-plans-to-spend-3-billion-on-space-can-it-catch-up-to-china\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1531892056.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1531892056.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2024\/03\/06\/india-plans-to-spend-3-billion-on-space-can-it-catch-up-to-china\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Space","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/","ad_zone":"space"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"India plans to spend $3 billion on space. Can it catch up to China?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","name":"Defense News","description":"Covering the politics, business and technology of defense | Defense News","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization","name":"Defense News","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/defensenews-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/defensenews-logo-white.png","caption":"Defense News"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Defense News","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1531892056.jpg.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66160","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=66160"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66160\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":66171,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66160\/revisions\/66171"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66160"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66160"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=66160"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=66160"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}