IN-SPACe Greenlights Reliance Jio's 1,600-Satellite LEO Constellation Plan

Key Points

RELIANCE JIO’S PROPOSAL to deploy over 1,600 low-orbit satellites (LEO) has been given the green light by space regulator Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe). On Friday, July 17, 2026, the regulator adjudged Reliance's proposal, declaring it as “technically sound” and on par with global systems like Elon Musk’s satellite internet constellation Starlink.

The assessment of Reliance's LEO was jointly conducted by the space regulator Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), and the Wireless Planning and Coordination (WPC) wing of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).  

After this approval, the central government can now offer regulatory service to Jio at the international level as the company seeks orbital slots for its proposed constellation. The Mukesh Ambani-owned company had sought assistance from the government in securing International Telecommunication Union (ITU) filings and orbital rights, including coordination with other satellite operators. 

See also: Astronomers Denounce Elon Musk-Led Plan to Pollute Earth’s Orbit With 1.7 Million Satellites

Now that Reliance has been given the greenlight for its ambitious project, it has now paved the way for the establishment of India’s first domestic LEO constellation. Such a development is a necessity for national security and strategic defense requirements. As of yet, Elon Musk’s Starlink remains the dominant player in the LEO segment, with over 10,000 satellites at its arsenal. Other competitors in the business are Amazon Kuiper and French-based company Eutelsat’s OneWeb. Geopolitical conflicts, however, have provoked countries to rethink their plans to reduce dependence on overseas satellite operators.

In its comments to the government, INSPACe had highlighted the strategic benefits of Jio’s LEO constellation proposal, citing its probable usefulness in meeting India’s defense requirements. The space regulator also highlighted this initiative could reduce the nation's reliability on overseas satellite providers.

An official familiar with this latest development stated to The Economic Times: “The kind of capacity planned by Jio is the highest so far for India. The company has proposed to offer 4.5-5 tera bit per second (Tbps) throughput over India.”

See also: Tesla cars to soon connect to 2nd Gen Starlink satellites

In contrast, Starlink’s has approval for 600 Gigabit per second (Gbps). Amazon Leo plans to offer 3 Tbps capacity over India,  but is yet to secure authorisation from IN-SPACe.

What Services Jio Plans to Offer With its LEO Constellation

With its LEO constellation, Reliance Jio plans to offer fixed satellite services, which includes broadband and cellular backhaul. Provision of mobile satellite services, such as direct-to-device connectivity, is another offering. Reliance also has plans to construct around 20-22 satellite ground stations.

What is an LEO constellation?

An LEO constellation is a large group of low-orbiting satellites that work together in coordination to provide global coverage for services like high-speed internet and Earth observation. These satellites remain closer to the Earth and move very fast, so they are able to cover a small area of the Earth at a time. Therefore, hundreds or thousands of these LEO satellites are launched together in a “constellation” to ensure seamless, uninterrupted coverage around the globe.

(Edited by Ritik Singh)

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