From governance to border security, Assam prepares to launch its own satellite

Assam is in the final stage of selecting a private partner to launch AssamSAT, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. The state claims it will become the first in India with its own earth observation system, aimed at supporting faster, data-driven governance across agriculture, disaster management, infrastructure development, border security and police operations.Assam is in the final stage of selecting a private partner to launch AssamSAT, which Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma says will make it India's first state-owned earth observation system. (Credits: File Photo)The Assam government is in an advanced stage of evaluation to select a partner from the private sector to launch its own satellite, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.Claiming that Assam will be the first state in India to have its own earth observation system, he said the satellite will come up under the 'DBLOTT model' - Design, Build, Launch, Operate, Train and Transfer."Earlier this year, we invited Expressions of Interest to select an implementation partner under the DBLOTT model. Following strong interest from India's private space sector companies, we are now in the final and critical stage of partner selection, with dedicated committees evaluating the proposals," Sarma said in a social media post on Sunday.He said 'AssamSAT' marks a landmark shift -- from Assam being a user of satellite data to an active participant in the space-tech ecosystem, enabling faster and evidence-based governance. While presenting the state budget for 2025-26, the then Finance Minister Ajanta Neog had announced that the state government would have its own satellite, which would help collect data for implementation of critical socio-economic projects, besides keeping surveillance on its border."In collaboration with IN-SPACe (Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre) of the Department of Space, Government of India, we would like to set up our own satellite, ASSAMSAT, to ensure a continuous, reliable flow of data for the implementation of critical socio-economic projects," she had said in her budget speech. Neog had said the satellite would also help in providing dedicated services for agriculture, disaster management, infrastructure development and border security management and police operations.- EndsPublished By: Sayan GangulyPublished On: Aug 25, 2026 20:01 IST