By Lt Gen (Dr) PJS Pannu (r)
Space is now a cornerstone of modern defence and homeland security, playing a critical role in both Earth-based and space-based military operations. Nations are investing heavily in satellite-based intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR), secure communications, missile warning systems, and space situational awareness. Governments and industries worldwide are collaborating to integrate space assets into defence operations, driving both B2G (Business-to-Government) and B2B (Business-to-Business) partnerships.
Amidst this evolution, SIA-India has emerged as the sole industry association pioneering Industrial Space Wargaming in India, ensuring alignment between defence requirements and private-sector capabilities. IndSpaceX, its flagship initiative, aims to place India at the forefront of industrial defence space preparedness.
Global Defence Investments in Space
In 2024, global military space spending surpassed $80 billion, reflecting the sector’s growing importance. The United States leads with a $29 billion budget for the U.S. Space Force.[1], focusing on missile warning satellites, secure communications, and space situational awareness. China follows with an estimated $12-15 billion allocated to classified military space projects, enhancing its Beidou navigation system and space-based intelligence assets. Russia spends approximately $6 billion, prioritizing anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons and missile detection systems, all strengthening their space-based defence capabilities. India’s budget
While India has made significant progress with dedicated military satellites such as GSAT-7 (Rukmini), EMISAT, NavIC, and RISAT, its defence space investments remain relatively lower. India successfully demonstrated ASAT capabilities with Mission Shakti (2019), but gaps remain in persistent space-based ISR, secure military communications, and counter-space measures.
To keep pace with global advancements, India is expected to allocate $3 billion over the next few years for defence-related space contracts, supporting satellite-based surveillance, SSA, and cyber defence. However, this remains modest compared to global leaders.
Advancing India’s Defence Through Industrial Wargaming
As space emerges as a strategic domain reshaping modern warfare and business, startups must keep pace with evolving demands and cutting-edge technologies. Given the industry’s dynamic nature, anticipating technological advancements and security challenges is crucial. This underscores the need for Industrial Wargames to proactively map gaps, identify strategic opportunities, and enhance preparedness.
IndSpaceX is India’s first Industrial Space Wargame, conceptualized and led by SIA-India. SIA-India’s IndSpaceX initiative plays a pivotal role in industrial defence space mapping, fostering coordination between defence, paramilitary forces, intelligence agencies, law enforcement, strategic policymakers, and the space industry. This ensures that India’s defence and space sectors remain aligned to tackle emerging threats while bridging critical gaps in technology, supply chains, and operational coordination.
IndSpaceX goes beyond threat simulations—it actively shapes procurement priorities and integrates Indian startups and companies into the defence supply chain. The initiative strengthens Make in India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat, reducing foreign dependency and fostering indigenous capabilities in space defence technologies.
IndSpaceX fosters structured dialogues, demand-driven innovation, and the development of indigenous, future-ready technologies for both defence and commercial applications. It strengthens India’s security resilience by accelerating the integration of next-gen satellite communications, ISR capabilities, space-based cyber defence, and AI-driven threat analysis into military operations.
The recent IndSpaceX 3.0, conducted under DEFSAT-25 by SIA-India, was the third strategic exercise aimed at enhancing industry readiness for India’s evolving defence space needs. This initiative is a key enabler of India’s space security roadmap, driving self-reliance and fostering B2G and B2B collaborations to advance national security capabilities.
While wargame exercises are a crucial component of modern defence strategy, primarily conducted by military and government agencies to simulate real-world threats, test response mechanisms, and refine strategic planning, industrial wargaming remains a relatively untapped yet critical domain. Countries like the United States, China, Russia, and NATO allies conduct large-scale wargames to enhance military preparedness—the U.S. Space Command’s Schriever Wargames simulate multi-domain conflicts, China integrates space into its Stride and Sharp Sword exercises, NATO’s Global Sentinel focuses on space situational awareness, and Russia’s Vostok series incorporates electronic and cyber warfare linked to space assets. In 2024, the Defence Space Agency initiated ‘Antariksha Abhyas’ to prepare India’s defence forces for potential conflicts involving space resources. However, industrial wargames like IndSpaceX are pioneering efforts that bridge the gap between the defence sector and private industry, ensuring that national security strategies align with technological advancements and industrial capabilities.
Why India needs Indspace Wargame:
Unlike traditional military exercises, industrial wargames bring defence and industry together to ensure demand-driven innovation. India’s growing reliance on space-based assets for defence and security underscores the need for structured wargame exercises like IndSpaceX. Here is why:
1. Bridging the Demand-Supply Gap
- Over 70% of India’s defence space requirements are met through imports (SIA-India assessment), creating strategic vulnerabilities.
- IndSpaceX aims to accelerate indigenous industrial capabilities, reducing foreign reliance.
2. Aligning with Global Defence Space Spending
- The U.S. Space Force had a $30 billion budget in 2023, while China’s military space spending reached $10 billion.
- India’s IN-SPACe and ISRO initiatives are progressing but require structured defence-industry collaboration to scale effectively.
3. Expanding Dual-Use Technologies
- Globally, over 60% of space assets serve both civilian and military purposes.
- IndSpaceX enables Indian private players to develop dual-use technologies, ensuring commercial sustainability alongside defence applications.
4. Enhancing Military Surveillance & Communications
- India’s military relies on satellites like RISAT-2B, Cartosat-3, and EMISAT for reconnaissance and electronic intelligence.
- However, coverage remains limited—the U.S. and China operate hundreds of ISR satellites, enabling real-time, persistent surveillance.
- While the GSAT-7 series provides encrypted communication for the Navy and Air Force, the Army still lacks a dedicated satellite, creating a security gap.
5. Leveraging Private Sector Innovation for Defence
- India’s space economy is projected to reach $44 billion by 2040 (IN-SPACe), yet defence collaboration with private industry remains limited.
- IndSpaceX ensures defence-specific requirements are integrated into India’s private space sector roadmap.
6. Reducing Import Dependency in Defence Space Tech
- Despite growing expertise, India still relies on foreign suppliers for key satellite components, sensors, and high-end propulsion systems.
- IndSpaceX strengthens Aatmanirbhar Bharat by promoting the domestic development of critical technologies.
- India plans to invest $3 billion in space-related contracts in the next few years to enhance counter-space capabilities and reduce reliance on foreign satellites.
7. Strengthening International Collaboration
- Positioning India as a global leader in defence space cooperation is vital.
- IndSpaceX enhances India’s partnerships with the U.S., France, Australia, and Japan, aligning with global security frameworks.
IndSpaceX ensures India remains ahead in space defence readiness by aligning military needs with industry innovation, fostering dual-use technology development, and reducing import dependency in critical space defence technologies while enhancing strategic preparedness for future conflicts.
India’s First Industrial Space Wargame: IndSpaceX by SIA-India
Amidst the evolving geopolitical landscape, SIA-India’s IndSpaceX is a groundbreaking initiative—the first-ever Industrial Space Wargame in India. Unlike traditional military simulations, IndSpaceX epitomizes an innovative approach by assessing the Indian space industry’s readiness through interactive tabletop exercises. These simulated scenarios evaluate critical factors such as resource allocation, logistics management, action sequencing, and operational phase durations. Often, the industry is unaware of defence requirements, while defence lacks insight into industry capabilities—IndSpaceX facilitates this critical alignment. This pioneering methodology ensures proactive assessment and strategic planning, setting a new benchmark in India’s space defence preparedness. By bridging gaps between defence requirements and industrial capabilities, IndSpaceX bolsters India’s self-reliance and resilience in space-based security operations.
Conducting three consecutive IndSpaceX exercises over the past three years has been a significant milestone, reinforcing SIA-India’s commitment to strengthening India’s space defence ecosystem. This sustained effort aims to enhance industry readiness by redefining policy frameworks that support a resilient and self-sufficient national security architecture.
By continuously refining strategies and preempting scenarios through simulated wargames, IndSpaceX has become SIA-India’s flagship initiative in defence space preparedness. Launched in 2023, the first edition set the foundation by assessing the industry’s capability to meet India’s defence space needs. IndSpaceX 2.0 in 2024 expanded its scope, introducing complex real-world scenarios to test resource allocation, logistics, and operational coordination. With IndSpaceX 3.0 in 2025, the initiative has now evolved into a cutting-edge platform, integrating multi-domain challenges and refining strategic responses.
Graphical representation of IndSpaceX’s growth from 2023 to 2030, showcasing key milestones and projected advancements.
The IndSpaceX Growth Trajectory outlines India’s strategic progression in space defence, starting with the first industrial space wargame in 2023 and evolving into a global leader in space defence readiness by 2030. Key milestones include the introduction of multi-domain challenges (2025), and AI-driven predictive analysis (2026), enhancing decision-making capabilities. By 2027, international defence and space agencies will be integrated, fostering global collaboration. The establishment of the IndSpaceX Centre of Excellence (2028) institutionalizes expertise, followed by a multi-city expansion (2029) to scale nationwide. This trajectory solidifies India’s leadership in military space operations, AI-driven defence strategies, and international security cooperation, ensuring strategic autonomy and operational dominance in space warfare.
As SIA-India has developed expertise over the years, it envisions creating IndSpaceX as India’s premier platform for industrial defence space preparedness, fostering collaboration between the space industry, defence forces, and policymakers. By leveraging simulated wargames, advanced AI-driven analysis, and international partnerships, IndSpaceX seeks to enhance India’s strategic space capabilities and position the nation as a global leader in space security and resilience.
IndSpaceX 3.0 Snapshot
Objective:
IndSpaceX 3.0 aimed to guide private space companies in developing dual-use space assets for both civilian and military applications. Discussions focused on expanding manufacturing capabilities to meet the evolving needs of Multi-Domain Operations (MDO).
Exercise Structure:
Participants engaged in realistic future scenarios, responding to dynamic threats while being evaluated by experts from defence, academia, R&D, and government organizations. The Chair and Umpires assessed the strategy, resources, regulations, and technology employed.
Scenarios Showcasing Space’s Role in MDO
- Maritime Security & Sea Lines of Communication (SLOCs):
- Space-based surveillance identified adversary activities, including smuggling, hostile naval operations and unconventional maritime threats.
- Ensured secure shipping lanes and rapid military response by integrating ISR with AI-driven decision-making.
- Detection of Enemy Aircraft Carrier Group:
- Space assets tracked surface and subsurface military threats at sea.
- Enabled real-time intelligence and strategic decision-making with the fusion of satellite data with other intelligence sources.
- Homeland Security & Border Surveillance:
- Space-based systems detected cross-border infiltration, drone incursions, and subterranean threats.
- Enhanced disaster response and traffic management applications.
- Integrated satellite communications for rapid response to cyber threats, electronic warfare (EW) disruptions, and misinformation campaigns.
- Aerial Threats & Precision Strikes:
- Satellite imagery and space-based sensors provided early warning of aerial incursions and missile launches.
- AI-driven analytics optimized precision strikes, ensuring high-accuracy target neutralization with minimized collateral damage.
- Space-Based Threats to Ground Forces:
- Discussed countermeasures for hypersonic weapons, cyber-attacks on satellite networks, and adversarial space-based actions.
- Emphasized integrating quantum encryption, secure communication links, and space domain awareness for defence readiness.
Strategic Takeaways from IndSpaceX 3.0
| Sector | Key Strategic Insights |
| Industry | – Space Industrial Complex for Defence: Establish dedicated private-sector capabilities for military-grade ISR, SATCOM, and EW resilience. – AI-Driven Decision Superiority: Develop real-time, autonomous analytics for target acquisition, deception detection, and counter-space operations. – Satellite Redundancy & Resilience: Build modular, rapidly deployable LEO constellations for contested environments. – Quantum-Secure Communication: Immediate focus on quantum cryptography and post-quantum encryption for military SATCOM. – Defence-Grade EO & SAR Capabilities: Precision surveillance with deep integration into tactical operations, not just intelligence gathering. |
| Defence & Homeland Security | – Integrated Space Command: Prioritize a centralized structure for seamless coordination of space assets across tri-services. – Space-Cyber-Electronic Warfare Nexus: Build hybrid capabilities to disrupt adversary networks, communications, and space-based ISR. – Rapid Reconstitution of Space Assets: Develop sovereign on-demand launch solutions to ensure resilience in space warfare scenarios. – Multi-Orbit Defence Architecture: Deploy LEO, MEO, and GEO assets in an integrated manner to ensure persistent situational awareness. – Offensive Counter-Space Capabilities: Strengthen capabilities in directed energy weapons (DEWs), ASAT, and co-orbital operations. |
Conclusion:
Making IndSpaceX a National Exercise
To maximize its impact, SIA-India can institutionalize IndSpaceX as a recurring national-level exercise by:
- Collaborating with the Ministry of Defence and ISRO to integrate findings into national security frameworks.
- Partnering with DRDO, NSIL, and private industry leaders to drive technological innovation.
- Creating a policy-backed implementation roadmap that ensures sustained investments in defence space infrastructure.
- Establishing an annual IndSpaceX Report, similar to global defence capability assessments, to track progress and identify emerging
Lt Gen (Dr) PJS Pannu is a former Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff, who pioneered the raising of Defence Space Agency, Defence Cyber Agency and Armed Forces Special Forces Division. He has authored two books Role of Niche and Disruptive Technologies in India’s Deterrence and War Fighting Capabilities, and Power of Future Machines. He has curated and conducted three Industrial Space Exercises nicknamed IndspaceX.
[1] https://spacenews.com/space-force-budget-inches-upward-in-tight-fiscal-year/
