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Indian Express
17 hours ago
- Business
- Indian Express
To boost surveillance, Govt taps global firms for high-resolution satellite imagery
With high-resolution satellite imagery proving to be indispensable in evolving battlefield situations, the government is learnt to have reached out to multiple global commercial earth-observation satellite players for sourcing it. The initiation of talks with these satellite imagery providers comes in the wake of Operation Sindoor in May, where it has been inferred that China provided live inputs through satellite support to Pakistan. Senior Army officials have since said that when the DGMO-level talks were on, Pakistan flagged information about 'specific vectors' on the Indian side that were being primed and readied for action, likely from satellite inputs facilities by China. 'We are in talks with commercial satellite imagery providers. We have to deepen our surveillance measures,' an official told The Indian Express. The objective of these discussions is to extend the surveillance envelope and be able to do real-time surveillance at the time of conflicts for more efficient military actions, officials said. The move likely includes Maxar Technologies, which operates some of the world's most advanced Earth observation satellites that can capture images with 30-centimetre resolution, detailed enough to discern targets such as infrastructure, buildings, artillery gun systems and even vehicles. When contacted by The Indian Express, Maxar's spokesperson said they 'don't comment on contract negotiations'. While India's satellites, including the Cartosat and RISAT, have played a big role in helping defence forces to strategise, track enemy mobilisation and confirm strike impact, while maintaining real-time situational awareness which prevented any major damage to the country's military assets, these domestic satellites face some limitations in their capabilities. The Cartosat-3 satellite was designed to offer resolution of up to 30-centimetre, but is claimed to provide good quality imagery at about 50 centimetres. Also, Cartosat-3 operates alone, which limits how frequently it can scan the same area, something that is crucial during fast-paced military engagements where the battlefield is limited to a specific sector. Visibility is crucial, which the Pakistanis are believed to have with Chinese inputs. India's satellites, including the Cartosat and RISAT, have played a big role in helping defence forces to strategise and maintain real-time situational awareness, but there are some limitations in their capabilities. The move to rope in global players is aimed at plugging these gaps. India is already working on upgrading its satellite capabilities and has fast-tracked deployment of 52 surveillance satellites under the SBS (Space Based Surveillance)-III programme after Operation Sindoor, to enable efficient and enhanced monitoring of land and sea borders, with stronger imaging and all-weather functionalities. 'They will start launching the satellites from next year onwards and the deployment of all satellites will be completed by 2029,' the official said. In October last year, the Union Cabinet approved $3.2 billion for the SBS-III programme to develop next-generation satellites over the next decade. Under the programme, ISRO will manufacture and launch the first 21 satellites, while private companies will handle the remaining 31. The Defence Space Agency will oversee the operation of the newly launched satellite system. Aanchal Magazine is Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express and reports on the macro economy and fiscal policy, with a special focus on economic science, labour trends, taxation and revenue metrics. With over 13 years of newsroom experience, she has also reported in detail on macroeconomic data such as trends and policy actions related to inflation, GDP growth and fiscal arithmetic. Interested in the history of her homeland, Kashmir, she likes to read about its culture and tradition in her spare time, along with trying to map the journeys of displacement from there. ... Read More Anil Sasi is National Business Editor with the Indian Express and writes on business and finance issues. He has worked with The Hindu Business Line and Business Standard and is an alumnus of Delhi University. ... Read More
New Indian Express
17-05-2025
- Science
- New Indian Express
ISRO's satellite to boost India's surveillance capability
BENGALURU: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is all set to launch its 101st mission on May 18 with the launch of PSLV-C61/ EOS-09 satellite from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Shriharikotta. The satellite, designed to see through clouds and darkness at the night sky, is a boost to India's satellite-based surveillance capability. This launch follows the India-Pakistan ceasefire after 'Operation Sindoor', and as New Delhi stays alert despite calm along the borders. The "spy" satellite is designed by ISRO's UR Rao Satellite Center in Bengaluru. The C-band synthetic aperture radar enables the satellite to capture high-resolution images of the Earth's surface, which will be better than the Cartosat-3 satellite, which gets blinded at night. Cartosat-3 satellite could only beam down images with a resolution of less than half a meter from its low Earth Orbit. India has around 57 satellites in space, including four radar satellites in orbit. The radar satellites were used to keep a watch on the borders after tensions rose between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack. Under the mission the scientists will place the all-weather earth observation satellite into the sun-synchronous polar orbit (SPO). The PSLV-C61 is also the 63rd flight of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and the 27th using the PSLV-XL configuration.
NDTV
17-05-2025
- Science
- NDTV
With ISRO Satellite Launch, Night-Time Surveillance Capability To Get Boost
New Delhi: 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.
NDTV
24-04-2025
- Science
- NDTV
With Eyes On Pakistan, India Speeds Up Launch Of Special Spy Satellite
New Delhi: In the wake of the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam -- that killed 26 people -- the Indian space agency is accelerating the launch of a special spy satellite that can help protect and keep a sharp eye on India's borders in all weather conditions. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is ready to launch a special radar imaging satellite in the next few weeks. This satellite has the capability for imaging both during day and night, and it can also see through clouds. The satellite is very hard to hide from this bird in the sky, and is often called a `spy satellite'. Union Minister for Science and Technology Dr Jitendra Singh said the ISRO will launch the PSLV-C61 mission carrying the state-of-the-art EOS-09 satellite. "Equipped with a C-band synthetic aperture radar, EOS-09 will be capable of capturing high-resolution images of Earth's surface under all weather conditions, day or night," he said. This radar imaging satellite has been made by Indian scientists and will be an addition to the existing constellation of over 50 satellites India already has in space. India's sophisticated Cartosat-3 satellite, which is already in service, can beam down images with a resolution of less than half a meter from its low Earth orbit. But this satellite gets blinded at night, and the enemy can move its assets. But the high-end EOS-9 can always find what the enemy is trying to hide, as it never gets blinded. The ISRO chairman, Dr V Narayanan, told NDTV that the program to launch the workhorse rocket -- the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) -- with the radar imaging satellite is going on in a campaign mode with the target to launch it as soon as possible.
