Safran Space to supply over €5 million of optical payloads for India's SBS-3 satellites

Safran Space, a French aerospace subsidiary, has entered into contracts valued at more than €5 million to supply essential systems to Dhruva Space, an Indian space-technology startup. The supplied equipment, notably optical payloads, will be fitted onto satellites that Dhruva is constructing for India's Space-Based Surveillance-3 (SBS-3) programme. According to a statement from the French President’s Office, the partnership is designed to boost the cadence at which strategic zones can be observed and to strengthen India's capacity to monitor activities along its frontiers and across the Indian Ocean Region.

The collaboration reflects growing Indo-French cooperation in the defence and space sectors. Dhruva Space will integrate the components into its satellite platform, enhancing the country's surveillance capabilities. The deal underscores the strategic importance of commercial space firms in national security architectures.