Months After Balakot Strike India has launched a cloud proof spy Satellite. In a pre-dawn launch, Indian space agency ISRO successfully launched earth observation satellite RISAT-2B. It will enhance the country’s surveillance capabilities among others.
Isro’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C46) took off at 5.30am from Satish Dhawan Space Centre carrying the 615 kg satellite. The RISAT-2B (Radar Imaging Satellite-2B) was released into the orbit around 15 minutes after the lift-off. The special radar-enabled satellite will be placed at a low earth 557-kilometer orbit, a suitable level for detecting hostile installations. It would replace the RISAT-2, which was successfully launched in 2009.
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman K Sivan had earlier said, “This is a very, very important mission for India. It is an excellent satellite with hi-fi earth observation (capabilities).”
The RISAT-2B is meant for application in fields such as surveillance, agriculture, forestry, and disaster management. It is equipped with a synthetic aperture radar that can take pictures of the earth during day and night, and also under cloudy conditions. With a mission life of five years, the satellite would also be used for military surveillance.
The RISAT-2B, satellite was created at the Space Applications Centre in Ahmedabad. It is equipped with a special X-band radar capable of providing much better images. Now, with its help, the space agency hopes to provide India’s armed forces with the ability to keep track of activities across the borders.
The RISAT-2B has a mission life of five years and if things go as planned then ISRO will launch two clones (RISAT-BR1 and RISAT-2BR2) in the coming months.
Incidentally, Pakistan had launched the PAKTES-1A satellite – also supposed to be an X-band radar-enabled satellite – using a Chinese Long March rocket on July 9 last year.
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