Pahalgam satellite images demand increased at US firm weeks before terror attack: Report

The base price for each satellite image starts at ₹3 lakh, with the cost increasing depending on the image's resolution.

Updated on: May 10, 2025, 05:42:10 IST

By HT News Desk

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Two months before the deadly terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives, a US-based space tech company experienced an unusual surge in requests for high-resolution satellite images of Pahalgam and its surroundings, ThePrint reported.

Security personnel inspect the site following the Pahalgam terrorist attack that took place on Apr 22, leaving several people dead and many injured, at Baisaran in Pahalgam. (ANI)

Maxar Technologies saw an unusual spike in orders for satellite imagery of Pahalgam between February 2 and 22, 2025, receiving at least 12 requests, double its usual volume.

These orders had started appearing on the company’s portal as early as June 2024, shortly after Maxar partnered with Business Systems International Pvt Ltd (BSI), a Pakistan-based geo-spatial company linked to federal crimes in the US, the report added.

The report added that data does not reveal whether the orders for Pahalgam satellite images were placed by the Pakistani firm, Business Systems International Pvt Ltd (BSI).

However, defence analysts, experts, and scientists consulted by ThePrint cautioned that the coincidence cannot be ignored, considering the controversial 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 to the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), the agency responsible for designing and testing high explosives, nuclear weapon components, and developing solid-fuelled ballistic missiles.

Maxar satellite images start at ₹3 lakh

Maxar’s portal, accessed by ThePrint revealed that in addition to Pahalgam, satellite images captured other sensitive regions within India, such as Pulwama, Anantnag, Poonch, Rajouri, and Baramulla. The base price for each satellite image starts at ₹3 lakh, with the cost increasing depending on the image's resolution.

“Satellite surveillance has become the backbone of any country’s intelligence. While it is unclear whether these images could have been used for planning the April 22 attacks in Pahalgam, India could ask Maxar to conduct an investigation into the ordered images,” the report has quoted an ISRO scientist as saying.

Defence agencies frequently utilise high-resolution images to monitor troop movements, track weapon installations, assess infrastructure development, and detect activities like illegal border crossings, unauthorised incursions, and smuggling.

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HT News Desk
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