Months before terror attack, demand for Pahalgam satellite images at US firm went up a notch

Maxar Technologies ( an American space technology company) received an unprecedented amount of requests between 2 and 22 February 2025, demanding for satellite images of Pahalgam.

Two months before Baisaran valley witnessed one of the worst terror attacks on civilians which claimed the lives of 26 people, reports indicate someone requested for high-resolution satellite images of Pahalgam and its surrounding areas.

According to a news report by The Print, Maxar Technologies ( an American space technology company) received an unprecedented amount of requests between February 2 to 22, demanding for satellite images of Pahalgam.

The US space tech company received 12 requests , which is double the normal amount. However, this wasn't the first time, someone was asking for pictures of Pahalgam.

In June 2024, a similar request was made for photographs. Coincidently this request came right after Maxar Technologies acquired a new client that just happened to be a Pakistan-based geospatial company linked to federal crimes in the US.

However, there is no proof that shows that the Pakistani firm, Business Systems International Pvt Ltd did place an order for Pahalgam satellite images.

However, The Print noted that after talking to various defence experts and analysts and seeing that the company is headed by Obaidullah Syed who is known for bending the law to suit his purpose, these incidents can't be chalked up to just a 'coincidence '.

Syed has been found guilty by the US federal court for illegally exporting high-performance computer equipment and software application solutions from America to the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission or PAEC.

PAEC is Pakistan's government agency that tests high explosives and nuclear weapon parts, and develops solid-fuelled ballistic missiles.

A sources told the news website, “The very fact that a Pakistani company was taken on as a partner by Maxar without any background check is alarming.”

“India should pressure such satellite imaging and data companies to stop operations with Pakistan,” added the source.

The Print also said that they were given access to photos by Maxar, which showcased that apart from Pahalgam, the satellite images also also showed parts of Pulwama, Anantnag, Poonch, Rajouri, and Baramulla.

Moreover, the cost of each image starts at Rs 3 lakh, and increases in proportion to the resolution.

Orders for satellite images

Maxar is renowned for its satellite images that provide high-definition images with pixel resolution ranging from 30 cm to 15 cm.

The smaller the pixel, the better the picture.

According to Print, the orders for Pahalgam images with different pixel ranges began in February 2025 and orders were placed on on the 12th, 15th, 18th, 21st, and 22nd.

The next order came 10 days before the attack i.e. April 12. Following which, two more orders were placed on on 24 and 29 April.

No orders have been placed since then.

BSI is not only Maxar's customer but also a partner. A partner has much more important role as they are roped in as product developer, reseller and solution integrator on behalf of Maxar.

US Department of Justice has decried that BSI played a pivotal role in illegally routing resources for the Pakistani government agencies.

Obaidullah Syed, pleaded guilty in 2022 for exporting goods from the US without licence from the Department of Commerce and submitting false export information from 2006 to 2015. He was sentenced for a year.

Maxar: A businessman

Maxar also has clients in India including the Indian Space Research Organisation and Ministry of Defence.

However, high-resolution satellite imagery comes under the purview of government’s Remote Sensing Data Policy, Geospatial Data Guidelines, and the Spacecom Policy. Thus, access to images of security-sensitive areas is usually restricted.

But if someone is a customer of Maxar, it is not a problem for them. An ISRO scientist remarked, "The problem is that they (Maxar) are a business enterprise. They will provide services to anyone who is paying them."

India is still depended on foreign service providers for high-resolution satellite images since it is setting up its own system.