Australia and India to draft crisis rules for joint space missions
Canberra and New Delhi will draft a bilateral protocol to govern shared risks in joint space missions after a surge in projects exposed gaps in crisis coordination, according to research by political economist Dr Simran…
Source: Lowy Institute · August 27, 2026 at 10:02 AM · AI-assisted report
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KUALA LUMPUR, 27 AUGUST 2026 —
Canberra and New Delhi will draft a bilateral protocol to govern shared risks in joint space missions after a surge in projects exposed gaps in crisis coordination, according to research by political economist Dr Simran Keshwani.
Market Impact
Projects such as the Space MAITRI mission, which pairs an Australian-built satellite with an Indian launch, and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands tracking terminal for India’s Gaganyaan human-spaceflight programme have deepened interdependence without clarifying what happens if a launch fails, a satellite is hacked or ground infrastructure is damaged. Australia has committed A$18 million to three collaborative space projects, the research shows.
The absence of a joint assurance framework is becoming material because Indian private firms like Pixxel are now producing high-resolution Earth-imaging satellites that Australia wants to use for crop, mineral and coastline monitoring. The Bengaluru company launched three Firefly satellites in January 2025 capable of imaging across more than 150 spectral bands at five-metre resolution, the research notes.
A bilateral exercise should simulate scenarios including a cyber intrusion during launch, loss of a commercial satellite service or damage to a ground station to test telemetry protocols, data custody rules, cyber protections, export approvals and priority access during crises, Keshwani writes. The goal is secured interdependence rather than technological self-sufficiency, the research argues.
The protocol would classify obligations by data sensitivity and failure consequence rather than impose an artificial civil–military divide, since Earth-observation data supports both disaster relief and maritime surveillance. Joint stress tests would help agencies and companies identify where clear authority is missing before an emergency exposes the gap, according to the research.
Pixxel’s emergence shows India is no longer merely a provider of low-cost launch services but a source of space technology, Keshwani writes. Australian firms contribute spacecraft design and sensing expertise, while India supplies launch capacity and engineering scale. A shared assurance standard would ease inconsistent security, insurance and export rules that now slow private-sector collaboration, the research says.
For Malaysian business readers, the lesson is that supply chains in dual-use sectors increasingly depend on clear cross-border rules, not just technical compatibility.
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