The Assam government is in an advanced stage of evaluating and selecting a private-sector partner to launch its own satellite, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. In a social media post, Sarma said the state will be the first in India to have its own earth observation system, to be acquired under the DBLOTT (Design, Build, Launch, Operate, Train & Transfer) model.
"Earlier this year, we invited Expressions of Interest to select an implementation partner under the DBLOTT model," Sarma said. "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."
The initiative was first announced in the state Budget for 2025-26 by the then Finance Minister Ajanta Neog in March last year. In her budget speech, Neog said the satellite, named AssamSAT, would ensure "a continuous, reliable flow of data for the implementation of critical socio-economic projects" and would also keep surveillance on the state's border.
According to Neog, the satellite would provide dedicated services for agriculture, disaster management, infrastructure development, border security management and police operations. She also said it would ignite the imagination of the state's students, who would be involved in building experimental satellites with support from IN-SPACe (Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre) and ISRO. IN-SPACe is part of the Department of Space, Government of India, and the project is being carried out in collaboration with it.
Sarma described AssamSAT as marking a landmark shift for Assam, from being a user of satellite data to an active participant in the space-tech ecosystem, enabling faster and evidence-based governance.
Two reports of the announcement, carried by The Hindu Business Line and The Hindu, both quote Sarma's social media post and Neog's earlier budget speech. The Hindu's report dates the Chief Minister's statement to Sunday, August 23, 2026. The Hindu Business Line and The Hindu both report the claim that Assam will be the first state in India to have its own earth observation system.