India, France Sign Three New Space Deals Covering Satellites, Surveillance

India and France have stepped up cooperation in the space sector, with companies from the two countries signing three new agreements covering satellite launches, space surveillance and microsatellite technology.

The agreements were announced at the International Space Summit in Paris, being held from September 9-10. The first edition of the summit brought together governments, space agencies, companies and scientists, with 51 announcements representing around 20 billion euros in contracts, investments and other commitments.

French aerospace company Safran Space signed contracts worth more than 5 million euros with Indian space firm Dhruva Space to supply communication systems, inertial navigation units, optical payloads and ground stations for India's planned SBS-III space-surveillance constellation.

The constellation is envisaged to deploy 52 satellites between 2027 and 2030, strengthening India's sovereign space-surveillance capabilities. The deal also marks an expansion of cooperation between French industry and India's growing private space sector.

In another agreement, French launch-services provider RIDE! will launch two satellites for Indian company TakeMeToSpace, described as the country's first designer of orbital data centres. The partnership builds on earlier cooperation between RIDE! and Indian space companies.

Separately, French space company U-Space and Indian firm AXISCADES signed a commercial cooperation agreement to explore India's growing microsatellite market. The partnership will follow a phased roadmap under the Make in India initiative.

The latest agreements build on more than five decades of India-France space cooperation, anchored by the partnership between ISRO and France's CNES. Bilateral collaboration has expanded into Earth observation, human spaceflight, launch technologies, planetary exploration and space situational awareness.

India and France also maintain a Strategic Space Dialogue covering civil and defence space cooperation. The latest commercial deals underline the growing role of private companies in expanding the long-standing strategic partnership.