Message from Planet Labs’ eye in the sky: India is a medieval knight in the age of modern warfare

Satellite image shows an increase in activity and changes to the landscape in the days leading up to the most violent border clash between India and China, on June 19, 2020; image credit: Planet Labs

Synopsis
Satellite pictures of the Galwan valley region shared by US-based Planet Labs exposed China backtracking on the agreement with India to disengage. While the images did help India foster its case in shaping global opinion, it also exposes the country’s unpreparedness in advanced technologies. The episode underlines the urgent need to nurture companies in satellite imaging and space technology.

June 15, 2020, was a flashpoint in India-China relations. In the most violent border clash between the neighbours in decades, 20 Indian soldiers were martyred, triggering a prolonged standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). As a game of claims and counterclaims ensued, satellite pictures taken by a US-based company revealed Chinese build-up and artillery movement before the bloody skirmish at the freezing height of 14,000 feet in the