The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch one more spy in the sky, RISAT-1B, also known as EOS-09, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on May 18 morning.
This radar imaging satellite will be orbited by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C61) XL variant at 6:59 am IST, to provide border surveillance and national security.
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Coming just days after Operation Sindoor, RISAT-1B’s launch is both timely and critical.
Equipped with advanced technology, this satellite could be a game-changer in India’s fight against cross-border threats.
The all-weather 1,710 kg RISAT-1B satellite will be used to observe the Indian land with its C-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR).
It will be injected into the sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of about 529 km.
This will be the seventh RISAT series satellite launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation. The first RISAT satellite, RISAT-2, was launched in 2009.
The other RISAT series satellites orbiting now are the RISAT-2, RISAT-1, RISAT-1A, RISAT-2B, RISAT-2BR1, and RISAT-2BR2.
A former ISRO chairman said any satellite with a camera can be of dual use -- civilian and military.
Meanwhile, ISRO is also planning for another satellite launch with SAR in June.
The national space agency will launch the NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellite, a joint India-US initiative.
The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV), code-named GSLV-F16, will orbit NISAR sometime this June.
ISRO began the launch campaign activities at Sriharikota in the first week of April.
“RISAT-1B, with its advanced imaging, will enhance India’s ability to monitor terrorist activities and ensure swift responses to potential threats. It builds on the legacy of earlier RISAT satellites, which played key roles in operations like the 2016 surgical strikes, proving their worth in safeguarding the nation. India’s RISAT series has long been a cornerstone of its security strategy. Launched after the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the series was designed to bolster border surveillance and deter infiltration. Satellites like RISAT-2BR1, launched in 2019, offered resolutions as fine as 0.35 meters, enabling security forces to identify objects with remarkable clarity,” explained space expert Girish Linganna. [Source: The Week]
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