India acquires Israeli spy satellite

[Gabbar]

India acquires Israeli spy satellite

India has acquired an Israeli satellite that has day and night viewing capability. A bird can keep a watch over India's hostile neighbours even when the landmass is covered by a thick cloud cover, this capability puts the satellite in the class of what are often called `spy satellites'.

The Indian security forces have been seeking such capability for a long time and the need to procure one quickly was precipitated after the Mumbai attacks. India's existing satellites get blinded at night and in the monsoon season. The satellite will also provide India the capability to track incoming hostile ballistic missiles.

In a few weeks this satellite called a Radar Satellite (RISAT-2) will be launched using the Indian rocket the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). The 300 kilogram satellite is the first of its kind for India and is in the process of being integrated with the Indian rocket at India's space port Sriharikota.

ISRO has been developing its very own RadarSat at a cost of almost Rs 400 crores but since that was taking time India went in for a hurried purchase from Israel. India's own RadarSat will launched later in 2009 which will give India a constellation of spy satellites.

Indo-Israeli relations in space are at a new high ever since in January 2008 India launched Israel's very own spy satellite called TecSAR it had a resolution of almost 10 centimetres, meaning it could read car number plates from the sky.

NDTV.com: India acquires Israeli spy satellite

 

[nitesh]

bloody DDM strikes again, we are launching Israel's satellite not acquiring it

The Hindu : Front Page : ISRO gearing up to put Israeli satellite in orbit

CHENNAI: A Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is getting ready to put in orbit Israeli satellite RISAT in the first week of April.

The launch campaign is gathering speed. The vehicle, PSLV-C12, will also deploy a mini-satellite called Anusat, built by Anna University, Chennai.

India may use the radar images from the Israeli RISAT because the integration of India’s own RISAT had been delayed, an ISRO official said. However, another ISRO official said, “We do not know the end-user.” The Indian version of RISAT will be launched later this year or next year.


Top

 

[godsavetheworld]

I think India wouldn't be just "launching" an israeli spy satellite. It is not a coincidence that Israel asked India to launch its latest spy satellite, there must be an "under the table" deal for a joint operation of the satellite.

 

[nitesh]

^^
Buddy it is clearly mentioned that the satellite will provide the imagery to us. There is no under table thing here . But DDM from NDTV are giving an unnecessary spin.

 

[Cheetah786]

I think India wouldn't be just "launching" an israeli spy satellite. It is not a coincidence that Israel asked India to launch its latest spy satellite, there must be an "under the table" deal for a joint operation of the satellite.

Yeah under the table deal is jews are cheap and indians do it for lot less then others now that secret is out i must disapear .

 

[PeacefulIndian]

I think India wouldn't be just "launching" an israeli spy satellite. It is not a coincidence that Israel asked India to launch its latest spy satellite, there must be an "under the table" deal for a joint operation of the satellite.

Why something has to be under table? Israel's geographical location prevents them from launching Geosynchronous satellites (if this is a GS satellite). That is why they depend on countries like us who have excellent launch vehicles, at a lower cost. And probably they are not paying us directly. They will let us use their satellite. So in effect, this will be a shared satellite, owned by Israel, launched by India.

Edit- OK this is not a GS satellite. PSLV cant launch GS satellite. But at any rate Israel has preffered us launch their satellites. They are doing the same thing now.

 

[proud_indian]

i always thought NDTV is the only responsible media group left on indian soil

acquiring and launching a satellite is no where close to a same thing even a school child can differenciate between them.

they are really idiots

how could they publish that kinda blunders

after this only god can help us

 

[Chanakyaa]

Why something has to be under table? Israel's geographical location prevents them from launching Geosynchronous satellites (if this is a GS satellite). That is why they depend on countries like us who have excellent launch vehicles, at a lower cost. And probably they are not paying us directly. They will let us use their satellite. So in effect, this will be a shared satellite, owned by Israel, launched by India.

Edit- OK this is not a GS satellite. PSLV cant launch GS satellite. But at any rate Israel has preffered us launch their satellites. They are doing the same thing now.

Let me correct YOU Thoght "P" in PSLV stands for "Polar" But It has already launched Geo Orbit Satellites. So It has that capability but only for upto 2000-2500 KG satellites , The same is Upto 3200 for GSLV and perhaps 4500 for GSLV MK-III .

But The Spy Satellites are NEVER Geo Orbit. They are Polar Orbit Satellites.
An Imortant Parameter is the ReVisit Time of the Satellite. India has aquired very decent results for this parameter.

India has already launched a Spy Satellite that can give you a 1x1 Metre Resolutions of Clear Picts. But it was More of a test and its speculated that india is among a handful of nations that have this imaging capability.

Very soon The Military is Going to get a Dedicated Full Time Satellite.

 

[The Punisher]

Let me correct YOU Thoght "P" in PSLV stands for Polar But It has already launched Geo Orbit Satellites. So It has that capability but only for upto 2000-2500 KG satellites , The same is Upto 3200 for GSLV and perhaps 4500 for GSLV MK-III .

But The Spy Satellites are NEVER Geo Orbit. They are Polar Orbit Satellites.
An Imortant Parameter is the ReVisit Time of the Satellite. India has aquired very decent results for this parameter.

India has already launched a Spy Satellite that can give you a 1x1 Metre Resolutions of Clear Picts. But it was More of a test and its speculated that india is among a handful of nations that have this imaging capability.

Very soon The Military is Going to get a Dedicated Full Time Satellite.

IAF as well

For backup :

With a view to increasing its surveillance capabilities, Indian Air Force is going to have its own satellite in space by the end of 2010.

"We will launch our satellite by the end of 2010," IAF chief Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major said in Bangalore on Thursday.

The satellite to be launched by ISRO next year will be a dual-use satellite and will be used for civilian purposes also. It will help the IAF to position its aerial and ground assets and targets. It would be used to gather navigational information.

In the recent past, IAF has been working closely to develop its space-based capabilities. It even has plans of setting up an Aerospace command under it but it has faced opposition from the other two services over the issue.

Its southern command based in Thiruvananthapuram works closely with ISRO in space related areas. At the air headquarters also, one Air Vice Marshal rank officer looks after space operations.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-02/13/content_10815093.htm

 

[PeacefulIndian]

Let me correct YOU Thoght "P" in PSLV stands for Polar But It has already launched Geo Orbit Satellites. So It has that capability but only for upto 2000-2500 KG satellites , The same is Upto 3200 for GSLV and perhaps 4500 for GSLV MK-III .

But The Spy Satellites are NEVER Geo Orbit. They are Polar Orbit Satellites.
An Imortant Parameter is the ReVisit Time of the Satellite. India has aquired very decent results for this parameter.

India has already launched a Spy Satellite that can give you a 1x1 Metre Resolutions of Clear Picts. But it was More of a test and its speculated that india is among a handful of nations that have this imaging capability.

Very soon The Military is Going to get a Dedicated Full Time Satellite.

Well yes, now I remember that spy satellites are not meant to be Geo synchronous. But we have few such satellites in the world. US has kept a Geo satellite over Pokhran after N tests. Its only duty is to watch Pokhran.

And do you mean to say that Tecsar was a test? I thought it was fully functional satellite.

 

[Chanakyaa]

Well yes, now I remember that spy satellites are not meant to be Geo synchronous. But we have few such satellites in the world. US has kept a Geo satellite over Pokhran after N tests. Its only duty is to watch Pokhran.

And do you mean to say that Tecsar was a test? I thought it was fully functional satellite.

I just Googled it.
It was "TES"

Some Reading for You :

India's Technology Experiment Satellite (TES), which can be used as a spy satellite, has been beaming down what space officials call "excellent pictures".

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), based in this southern Indian city, is keeping the pictures under wraps for strategic reasons.

"We have not got approval of the government to release the pictures yet", ISRO officials say.

India is in possession of images of the war in Afghanistan, official sources maintain.

TES, launched in October from the Sriharikota launch pad on the east coast, is a precursor for the launch of fully operational spy satellites.

The first high-resolution pictures from its one-metre camera were taken over the temple town of Puri in Orissa on the east coast.

Rocket launch (Photo from ISRO)
Indian space programme should help its security concerns
"The pictures beamed by TES of the temples are fantastic!" enthuse ISRO officials.

The temple images were shown to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee last week, and he was delighted to see them.

With TES in position, defence officials say India can pick up images even of a truck moving along the border area of Pakistan.

India has fought three wars with Pakistan, two of them over the disputed territory of Kashmir.

Technical wizardry

TES can detect objects three-foot long or more.

India is the second country in the world after the USA that can offer images with one-metre resolution.

TES can be used for the mapping industry and geographical information services, officials said.

Apart from US military satellites, Ikonos, a private space company in the US, has a satellite that beams high resolution images.

India has emerged as a key player in the $1bn market for satellite images, jockeying with two well-established names, Spot of France and Landsat of US.

Antrix Corporation, the corporate arm of ISRO, sold images worth $7m in the global market last year.

The images beamed by five remote sensing satellites excluding TES are being received and marketed from nine international ground stations across the world.

With the success of TES, the ISRO Satellite Centre in Bangalore will embark on manufacturing operational remote sensing satellites that can double as spy satellites.

ISRO says its programmes are civilian-related, and denies building spy satellites.

But as ISRO Chairman Dr.K.Kasturirangan said after launching TES, "It will be for civilian use consistent with our security concerns".

The 1,008kg satellite was launched from a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).

The 44-metre PSLV rocket hurled into polar orbit TES and two tiny satellites, one from European Space Agency and the other from Germany.

These two satellites rode piggyback on the Indian satellite.