ISRO Space Applications 2026 and Vision 2047 Roadmap
The Department of Space provided a comprehensive update on space-based applications undertaken during 2026 and outlined the roadmap for Space Vision 2047. The applications span multiple critical sectors including agriculture, disaster management, climate monitoring, and developmental programs.
Current Applications (2026)
Agriculture Applications: ISRO/DoS conducted satellite-based national level crop sown and harvest area mapping for two crop seasons, including all-India mapping of Kharif rice, wheat, and jute crops. National level crop yield estimation was performed for rice and wheat crops, with technology support for State level mapping in Maharashtra (soybean, cotton, paddy) and Madhya Pradesh (soybean, wheat, gram, mustard, paddy). Insurance unit level estimation of crop yield was provided in 10 States to support Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), along with jute crop surveillance in major jute-growing states of Assam, Bihar, Odisha, and West Bengal.
Disaster Management: The program enabled near-real-time monitoring and mapping of floods, landslides, cyclones, forest fires, Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs), droughts, and other natural disasters using Earth Observation satellites. Outputs are uploaded to the BHUVAN and National Database for Emergency Management (NDEM) portals. A satellite and numerical model-based search and rescue tool was installed at Naval Operations Data Processing and Analysis Centre (NODPAC), Indian Navy, Kochi for their operations.
Climate Monitoring: Climate-related parameters including chlorophyll-a concentration, sea surface wind currents, wind stress, and surface-level winds were derived from the EOS-06 satellite mission using Ocean Colour Monitor-3 and Scatterometer sensors. Cloud products from INSAT-3DS are periodically updated and disseminated through the National Information System for Climate and Environment Studies (NICES) web portal. A satellite-based Extreme Weather Nowcasting tool has been developed and deployed for assessment toward operational implementation in IMD/MoES.
Developmental Sectors: Geospatial technology was used for planning and monitoring of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) activities, Watershed Development Component-Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (WDC-PMKSY), Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Housing for All (Urban) (PMAY-HFA(U)), status of road network in rural parts under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), assets created under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY), green cover along National Highways, and Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) projects.
Integration and Capacity Building
Integration of satellite-based services is strengthening through multiple approaches: integration of Indian satellite data and indigenous space platforms in National flagship programs; implementing the Forecasting Agricultural output using Space Agro-meteorological and Land based observation-2.0 (FASAL 2.0) project funded by MoA&FW; generating crop yield estimates for various major crops; supporting State Departments with technical inputs and geo-spatial solutions; providing near-real-time satellite-derived geospatial products to Central Ministries, State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMAs), District Administrations, and line departments under the Disaster Management Support (DMS) Programme; and conducting training and capacity-building programs for stakeholders. ISRO/DoS has signed more than 15 MoUs with Central Departments/Ministries and State Departments for implementation of technology in crop mapping, climatic & disaster risk assessment, satellite data-based weather forecasting, water resources monitoring, and mapping and monitoring of mining activities.
Satellite Communication forms part of flagship government programs like BharatNet and Digital India to expand communication reach with enhanced capacity for good governance including Gram panchayats. The extended reach of BharatNet using space technology bridges the digital divide, improves administrative coordination, promotes connected governance, and supports evidence-based decision-making. It also caters to emerging applications including broadband services to home and enterprise users, ubiquitous secure services to government users, wide connectivity for strategic services, DTH television, Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) services, In-Flight and Maritime Connectivity (IFMC), and societal applications like tele-education, tele-medicine and disaster management.
Data Access and Distribution
To expand access to geospatial and Earth observation data, several measures are implemented: open and free access to Indian Earth Observation (EO) data with coarser than 5m Ground Sampling Distance (GSD) to all users under Indian Space Policy-2023, with all derived products also disseminated free of charge; EO data with GSD finer than 5m provided free to Government Users and at fair price to non-Government users; enhanced web-based interfaces, streamlined data regulations, and operational near-real-time products distributed through MOSDAC and VEDAS portals; providing On-Demand Processing Platform for cloud-based processing requirements; and organizing training programs and workshops to accelerate use of space-based observations.
Space Vision 2047 Roadmap
The roadmap for scaling up indigenous space technologies focuses on three key areas:
Earth Observation Applications: Future requirements were identified and presented in National Meet-2025 held on August 22, 2025, at New Delhi, compiled in 'Outcome Report of National Meet - 2025 Leveraging Space Technology & Applications for Viksit Bharat 2047'. Development of indigenous technologies to meet these requirements is taken up as R&D activities by respective ISRO/DoS Centres.
Satellite Communication: Indigenous technologies are being developed for new solutions including Flexible payloads, Direct-to-Device (D2D), Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) using 5G/6G standards, and NB-IoT over satellite for M2M communication. Multi-orbit compatible broadband terminals in higher frequency bands with beamforming capabilities are being indigenized. Development of ground station network infrastructure for optical and laser communication for future HTS feeder link requirements and establishment of operational quantum key distribution (QKD) systems are under progress. Indigenous sovereign N-GSO constellations are being planned to provide broadband service.
Satellite Navigation: NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation) will serve as primary positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) service across transportation, logistics, aviation, maritime, railways, defence, agriculture, disaster management, and smart city applications. Receiver technologies will be developed for NavIC-based Precise Point Positioning (PPP) and Real-Time Kinematics (RTK) for high-accuracy applications. Integration of NavIC into current and upcoming telecom technologies like 5G/6G is planned, along with indigenous development of NavIC-enabled GNSS Baseband ASICs to promote self-reliance in chipset manufacturing. Adoption into industry standards will be aggressively pursued. The focus includes expanding the NavIC constellation, enhancing signal diversity, accuracy and global coverage, promoting mass adoption through integration in consumer devices and critical infrastructure, supporting domestic chipsets and receiver manufacturing, and fostering a private-sector ecosystem for application development. Steps for extending service for lunar PNT are also planned.