India to Set Up Direct Broadcast Network (DBNet) Stations to Boost Weather Forecasting
SDG 13: Climate Action | SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
Institutions: Ministry of Earth Sciences | New Space India Limited
The Government of Indiaβs National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF), under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with New Space India Limited (NSIL), the commercial arm of the Department of Space, to establish two Direct Broadcast Network (DBNet) stations - one in Delhi/NCR and another in Chennai. The stations are being developed under the Mission Mausam project. DBNet allows real-time reception of satellite data from Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites, cutting down delay significantly. Once a satellite passes overhead, data is acquired, processed, and used in Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) models within about 5 minutes, which helps make weather forecasts, including for cyclones and climate monitoring, more timely and accurate.
This move reinforces Indiaβs capacity to respond to climate risks, improve early warning systems, and reduce disaster damage by making forecasts more precise. Faster, localised satellite data feeds into better public safety, agriculture planning, and infrastructure resilience. From a policy standpoint, it also signals a strengthening of space infrastructure and inter-agency collaboration (science, space, weather) that can support broader climate adaptation and disaster management frameworks.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders:
How can India ensure that DBNetβs deployment is matched by sufficient investment in downstream capacity (data processing, dissemination, state-level forecasting) so that all regions benefit, especially vulnerable and rural areas?
Follow the full news here: NCMRWF Signs MoU with NSIL for DBNet Stations