With ISRO Satellite Launch, Night-Time Surveillance Capability To Get Boost
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to launch a satellite that can see through clouds and at night, adding more muscle to India's satellite-based surveillance capability as New Delhi stays alert despite calm along the border with Pakistan.
Scheduled for launch on Sunday at 5.59 am from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, the radar satellite will be launched into orbit on board the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). In the 101st launch of a big rocket by ISRO, the 1,696-kilogram EOS-9 radar imaging satellite will be stationed over 500 kilometres above the Earth's surface.
The indigenously-made "spy" satellite, designed by ISRO's UR Rao Satellite Center in Bengaluru, is equipped with a C-band synthetic aperture radar, enabling it to capture high-resolution images of the Earth's surface under all weather conditions and in low light.
EOS-9 will be an addition to the existing constellation of over 50 satellites India already has in space. These include seven radar satellites in orbit, which kept a watch on the borders as India-Pakistan tensions rose after the April 22 Pahagam attack and military action from both sides followed.
The satellite will provide significantly better imagery as compared to the Cartosat-3 satellite, which gets blinded at night. The latter can beam down images with a resolution of less half a meter from its low Earth Orbit.
ISRO Chairman Dr V Narayanan said, "At least 10 satellites are working round-the-clock to ensure the safety and security of the country. The nation has to monitor its 7,000-km seashore areas and the entire northern part. Without satellite and drone technology, the country can't achieve that."
Talking about the mission, Union Minister for Space and Technology Dr Jitendra Singh said, "Precision, teamwork and engineering powers India's space ambitions." The launch will be attended by several Members of Parliament.
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