Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) will launch an Israeli-made spy satellite from Sriharikota on April 20 in an attempt to keep a 24-hour surveillance on its international borders, a senior Indian defence ministry official said on Wednesday.
According media reports, the 300-kg radar-imaging Israeli satellite will be launched on ISRO’s indigenous rocket Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle and it will be positioned 550 km above the Earth. The satellite will help India track infiltration or militant movements on its borders with Pakistan and inside the country. It could capture the images even under clouds and transmit them to the country, an official said on condition of anonymity.
The spy satellite would carry Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) payload, which can take images during day, night and all weather conditions.
According to an official quoted by the PTI, “It will be primarily used for defence and surveillance. The satellite also has good application in the area of disaster management and in managing cyclones, floods and agriculture-related activities.”
It carries Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) payload, which can take images during day, night and all weather conditions including under cloud cover, a capability that Indian satellites do not have.
Given the sensitiveness of the venture, the Indian Space Research Organisation is tight-lipped over the mission, not giving out many details. The Indian defence ministry has assigned the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) to launch the spy satellite, he said.
ISRO is also developing its own SAR technology and is expected to place a 1200-kg Indian version of the Israeli SAR satellite in space some time later in the year.
ISRO had in January this year launched an Israeli TecSAR surveillance satellite. Impressed by TecSAR’s day-and-night, all- weather capabilities, ISRO apparently asked the Israelis to supply them with a similar model.
The PSLV-C12 will also carry the Anusat, a small satellite built by students of Chennai-based Anna University. The launch is expected to take place sometime between 6 am and 6.30 am on 20 April, officials said.