The third edition of the Indian DefSpace Symposium 2025 commenced on April 8, 2025, marking a significant milestone in India's journey toward becoming a formidable space power with enhanced defence capabilities. Organised by the Indian Space Association (ISpA), this three-day forum brings together military officials, policymakers, industry leaders, and global experts to deliberate on strengthening India's strategic position in the increasingly contested domain of space.

The symposium represents a critical platform for fostering collaboration between various stakeholders in the defence and space sectors, aimed at addressing emerging challenges and harnessing new opportunities in this rapidly evolving field.

Inaugural Session And Key Participants

The symposium, being held at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA) in New Delhi from April 7-9, 2025, was inaugurated with addresses from prominent figures in India's defence and space establishments. The event was graced by distinguished personalities including General Anil Chauhan, Chief of Defence Staff of India; Air Chief Marshal V.R. Chaudhari (Retd), Former Chief of the Air Staff; AVM Pawan Kumar, Director General, Defence Space Agency; Amb Sujan R. Chinoy, Director General, MP-IDSA; Jayant Patil, Chairman, ISpA; and Lt. Gen. A.K. Bhatt (Retd), Director General, ISpA. The presence of these high-ranking officials underscores the strategic importance being accorded to space as a critical domain for national security and military operations.

In his welcome address, Jayant Patil emphasised that India's space sector has reached an inflection point, with the defence industry playing a pivotal role in shaping its future trajectory. He highlighted the government's ambitious plan to deploy 52 dedicated military satellites and the increasing participation of private entities in this sector. According to Patil, Indian industry has already demonstrated its capabilities by delivering critical technologies including surveillance and communication satellites, jammers, and tracking radars, laying a strong foundation for future advancements in defence space capabilities.

Strategic Vision And Military Space Doctrine

General Anil Chauhan, in his inaugural speech, emphasised the critical need for developing a distinct "Space Culture" that fosters innovation and new capabilities in space warfare. This culture, according to him, encompasses seminal research, original doctrines, and strategies specifically tailored for the space domain. He articulated that India's military focus should be directed toward Earth's orbital space, with the dual objectives of enhancing military capabilities and protecting space assets from emerging threats. Notably, Gen. Chauhan revealed that the Defence Space Agency (DSA) is in the process of finalising a military space doctrine expected to be released within the next two to three months, alongside a national military space policy currently in development.

Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari (Retd) highlighted the significant technological shift from large satellites to smaller, more resilient constellations distributed across multiple orbits. He emphasised the need for India to seize emerging opportunities in launch-on-demand capabilities, space-based 5G networks, onboard edge processing, and quantum communications. His remarks reflect the broader trend of militarisation within India's space sector, which has been accelerating since India conducted its direct ascent anti-satellite (ASAT) test, codenamed Mission Shakti, in March 2019.

Intelligence, Surveillance, And Reconnaissance Capabilities

A significant focus of the symposium is on enhancing India's space-based Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities, which are deemed critical for modern warfare scenarios. AVM Pawan Kumar outlined India's decadal roadmap centred on five key areas: ISR, Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT), secure communication, space weather, and space situational awareness. He emphasised the development of persistent surveillance systems, software-defined payloads, and encrypted platforms, including post-quantum solutions. Kumar stressed that these technologies represent mission-driven capabilities vital to both defence and civil domains, underscoring the increasingly dual-use nature of space technologies.

The symposium's first day featured detailed discussions on space threat analysis, examining adversaries' capabilities and emerging geopolitical risks. This focus on threat assessment reflects India's growing concerns about the space capabilities of regional competitors, particularly China, whose advances in this domain have prompted India to accelerate its own military space programs.

Public-Private Partnership In Defence Space

A recurring theme throughout the inaugural session was the critical importance of collaboration between the public and private sectors in advancing India's defence space capabilities. Lt. Gen. AK Bhatt highlighted the remarkable innovation demonstrated by India's private space sector, emphasising their achievements despite minimal financial support. From launching hyper-spectral satellites to building space domain awareness capabilities, private entities have made significant contributions to India's space ecosystem.

Amb Sujan R. Chinoy articulated that dominance in the space domain cannot be achieved through state efforts alone. He emphasised that the future lies in synergy between ISRO, DRDO, the Defence Space Agency, and a vibrant private sector empowered by IN-SPACe. According to Chinoy, innovation must emerge from agile startups, established tech firms, and academia working in close coordination with the armed forces. This perspective aligns with the symposium's objective of providing a platform for direct dialogue between suppliers, key stakeholders, industry participants, start-ups, MSMEs, DRDO, and the end-users, which include the Armed Forces and Indian Para Security Forces.

Space Security And Resilience

The symposium placed significant emphasis on securing India's space assets against emerging threats. Discussions highlighted the need for building secure and resilient defence networks capable of withstanding various forms of interference and attacks. This focus reflects the growing recognition that space is becoming increasingly contested, with potential adversaries developing capabilities to disrupt, degrade, or destroy space-based assets.

Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari emphasised that in today's complex and contested space environment, where the distinction between civilian and military use is increasingly blurred, resilience, collaboration, and innovation are imperative rather than optional. This perspective underscores the dual-use nature of many space technologies and the need for integrated approaches to space security that span both civil and military domains.

Technological Priorities And Future Directions

The symposium highlighted several technological priorities that are expected to shape India's future defence space capabilities. These include secure communications, with defence leaders exploring advanced technologies such as anti-jamming systems, quantum encryption, and cyber-resilient networks. Another major focus area is space-based ISR, where satellites, artificial intelligence, and real-time analytics are being leveraged to support multi-domain military operations.

General Chauhan mentioned initiatives for launching satellites specifically for ISR purposes, being undertaken in partnership with ISRO and private industry. This collaboration exemplifies India's approach to developing space capabilities through partnerships between government agencies and private entities. The symposium also addressed advancements in sensor ecosystems, AI-driven analytics, propulsion systems, and next-generation launch vehicles, all of which are deemed crucial to India's long-term space strategy.

International Cooperation And Strategic Alliances

While emphasising self-reliance, the symposium also recognised the importance of international cooperation in advancing India's defence space capabilities. Discussions on this topic highlighted the value of strategic alliances with global partners for joint research, technology sharing, and establishing space security frameworks. This balanced approach reflects India's recognition that addressing the complex challenges in the space domain requires both indigenous capabilities and collaborative international efforts.

The symposium's theme, "Securing the Space Domain: Collaboration, Capabilities, and Strategic Vision," encapsulates this multifaceted approach to developing defence space capabilities through internal collaboration and external partnerships. With over 500 participants, 60+ speakers, and 100+ organisations expected to participate over the three-day event, the symposium provides a comprehensive platform for addressing the technical, strategic, and policy dimensions of defence space operations.

Conclusion

The 3rd Indian DefSpace Symposium 2025 represents a critical inflection point in India's journey toward becoming a significant player in the militarised space domain. By bringing together policymakers, military strategists, scientists, and industry experts, the symposium is charting a roadmap for India's defence space capabilities that balances technological innovation, strategic necessity, economic opportunity, and collaborative ambition. The forthcoming military space doctrine and national military space policy signal India's growing strategic focus on space as a domain of military operations, while initiatives to enhance ISR capabilities and secure communications reflect the practical implementation of this strategic vision.

As the symposium progresses over the next two days, it is expected to delve deeper into technological challenges, policy frameworks, and collaborative mechanisms that will shape India's defence space capabilities in the coming years. The emphasis on public-private partnerships and the integration of start-ups into the defence space ecosystem suggests a more inclusive and innovation-driven approach to developing capabilities in this critical domain. The symposium thus serves not merely as a platform for discussion but as a catalyst for action, urging stakeholders to collaborate in securing India's space assets and establishing the nation as a global leader in defence space technologies.

Agencies