RISAT-1B satellite launching soon—How it'll boost India's border monitoring, defense
What's the story
India is about to strengthen its surveillance capabilities with the launch of the EOS-09 (RISAT-1B) radar imaging satellite. The PSLV-C61 mission, slated for May 18 at 6:59am IST from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, will put this advanced satellite into a Sun-synchronous orbit. The RISAT-1B comes with a state-of-the-art C-band synthetic aperture radar that can greatly enhance India's Earth observation capabilities.
Surveillance
Advanced imaging capabilities
Unlike optical satellites, which fail in bad weather or darkness, the RISAT-1B can capture high-resolution images of the Earth's surface in any condition. Be it rain, clouds, or nighttime. The satellite has five different imaging modes, enabling it to toggle between ultra-high-resolution imaging and wider scans for large-area observation. These capabilities make it an ideal tool for monitoring India's sensitive borders with Pakistan, China, and protecting its expansive coastlines.
Civil applications
RISAT-1B: A dual-purpose satellite
The RISAT-1B satellite is not only a defense tool but also has a number of civil applications. These include agriculture, forestry, soil moisture monitoring, geology, coastal surveillance, as well as flood monitoring. The radar technology of the RISAT-1B is especially critical for defense. It can track enemy movements and detect infiltrations while aiding anti-terrorism operations by providing continuous and reliable intelligence.
Network enhancement
Complementing India's Earth observation network
The RISAT-1B satellite follows the RISAT-1 and is configured similarly. It will add to the data from other satellites, including Resourcesat, Cartosat, and RISAT-2B Series. This will enable India to establish a robust Earth observation network. The RISAT series, especially RISAT-2, has already demonstrated its significance in military operations by offering crucial imagery for the 2016 surgical strike in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and the 2019 Balakot airstrike.