On May 21, 2019 state -owned Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) successfully launched a new Earth-observation satellite, boosting the nation’s space-based surveillance capabilities. ISRO used Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, the PSLV-C46, to launch its third radar imaging satellite, named RISAT-2B, from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, a barrier island off the Bay of Bengal coast in India’s southern state of Andhra Pradesh.
Equipped with an X-band synthetic aperture radar, RISAT-2B will be able to look through the clouds to observe Earth’s surface day and night. Imagery from RISAT-2B will be useful for purposes such as agriculture and disaster relief management, and for surveillance purposes, ISRO said in a description of the mission.
RISAT-2B will provide detailed images of Earth’s surface with a resolution of about 3.3 feet as it orbits the Earth at an altitude of 346 miles. Its orbit, which is inclined 37 degrees to the equator, won’t enable global surveillance. Rather, the satellite’s gaze will be fixed on India and Pakistan.
