SOURCE ; NEW18
Last Updated:May 10, 2025, 00:14 IST
The demand for Pahalgam satellite images began appearing on their portal in June 2024, shortly after Maxar partnered with a Pakistan-based geo-spatial company
Maxar’s clients include government and defence agencies worldwide. (Reuters File Image)
Eight weeks before terrorists killed 26 people in Kashmir, a US-based space technology company noticed an unusual increase in orders for high-resolution satellite images of Pahalgam and its surrounding areas.
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Between 2 and 22 February 2025, Maxar Technologies received at least 12 orders – twice the usual number, raising suspicions about the people or companies who made the request.
Maxar’s clients include government and defence agencies worldwide. The demand for Pahalgam satellite images began appearing on their portal in June 2024, shortly after Maxar partnered with a Pakistan-based geo-spatial company linked to federal crimes in the US, The Print reported.
However, there is no proof yet to show the Pakistani firm, Business Systems International Pvt Ltd (BSI) placed the orders for these images. But, defence analysts, experts, and scientists consulted by ThePrint believe the coincidence is significant given the history of the company’s founder, Obaidullah Syed.
The Pakistani-American businessman was convicted and sentenced to a year in prison by a US federal court for illegally exporting high-performance computer equipment and software application solutions from the US to the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) — the agency responsible for designing and testing high explosives and nuclear weapon parts and developing solid-fuelled ballistic missiles.
In February 2025, orders for different satellite frequency ranges for Pahalgam peaked, with purchases made on the 12th, 15th, 18th, 21st, and 22nd. There were no orders in March. According to The Print‘s report, an order was placed on 12 April—ten days before the terror attack.
Following the attack, two requests for satellite images of the region were made – on April 24 and 29. Since then, no orders have been placed.
The starting price for each satellite image is Rs 3 lakh, increasing with higher resolution. Maxar Technologies is renowned for its satellites that deliver high-definition images with pixel resolutions ranging from 15 cm to 30 cm. Smaller pixel sizes result in clearer images.
In India, government agencies such as the Ministry of Defence and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) are among the clients of various Maxar services. Additionally, at least 11 Indian space tech start-ups and companies are customers and partners of Maxar Technologies.
- First Published:
May 10, 2025, 00:03 IST
