New Delhi: The countdown is progressing at India's spaceport Sriharikota for the launch of the Israeli surveillance satellite, which India acquired recently. The top-of-the-line 300 kilogram spy satellite, called RadarSAT-2, is a dedicated, all-weather surveillance tool for India's security establishment.
The launch is scheduled for 6.45 am on Monday morning, but in a deal shrouded in secrecy. ISRO has even called off its customary pre-launch press conference and live coverage.
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 as India's existing satellites get blinded at night and in the monsoon season.
India's smaller rocket the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) will put it in orbit. The satellite promises to have many advantages over the current ones.
The government says it will use the Israeli satellite to predict floods, cyclones, and help forecast paddy yields. But apart from that, it will add some punch in monitoring hostile neighbours.
The satellite can take close up pictures from its perch of over 500 kilometers above Earth of objects as small as a motorcycle.
It can also see through thick clouds and even at night. All these specialties, most certainly, will be used to track threats like militant training camps. The satellite will also help track incoming hostile ballistic missiles.
Although ISRO has been developing its very own RadarSat, it was taking time. That is why it approached Israel that developed the technology about a year ago.
Another smaller Indian satellite AnuSat is also hitching a ride. It weighs 40 kg and has been made by the Anna University in Chennai.