RISAT : India's Intelligence Satellite in Orbit

Giving a big boost to its defence surveillance capabilities, India on April 20, 2009 successfully launched an all-weather Israel-built spy satel­lite that will help security agencies to keep a vigil on the country's borders. ISRO's workhorse, PSLV-C12 rocket, soared from the spaceport in Srihari­kota and placed its first Radar Imaging Satellite (RISAT) into orbit.

The 300 kg RISAT-2 will pri­marily keep an eye on the country's borders round the clock and help in anti-infiltration and anti-terrorist operations. It will enable India to keep a watch on terror camps, military installations across boundaries, missile sites and such like. However, RISAT is not India's first spy satellite. The Technology Experiment Satellite (TES) has been used for photo recon­naissance since 2001.

The Earth viewing satellites built and launched hitherto by India have depended on picking up light coming from the ground below. These Indian satellites cannot work at night or when clouds block visibility. Putting a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) on a satellite overcomes these problems and enables it to capture images irrespective of weather and lighting conditions. This remote sensing advanced imaging spy satellite (RISAT) has been positioned 550 km above the Earth. This satellite has good applications in the fields of disaster management and in mana­ging cyclones, floods and agriculture-­related activities. However, RISAT will primarily be used for defence and surveillance. Significance of this satellite is its all weather capability, day and night. It is likely to be placed under the Aerospace command.

Different from previous remote sensing satellites, RISAT -II uses Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), equipped with many antennas, to receive signals that could be proces­sed into high resolution pictures.

Fallout on neighboring Countries

India is surging ahead as a powerhouse of advanced space tech­nology. Earlier experiments and investments opened up opportuni­ties. The modernization of space tech­nologies enhanced Indian capabilities in space research and profoundly influenced the South Asian strategic balance. Since 1980, India achieved ballistic missile superiority by deve­loping its Integrated Guided Missile Programme (IGMP), which was followed by the satellite programme, anti-tank and surface-to-air missiles, Prithvi and Agni missiles and now Spy Satellite.

2009 proved to be a significant milestone for the Indian space pro­gramme. It has brought a significant lead for India which launched the Spy Satellite, RISA T. This venture introduced a new era in satellite technology development. After the launch of this military intelligence satellite, India could boost its intel­ligence extensively against cross ­border terrorism and it will keep the entire region under India's watch. Indeed, during both war and peace, intelligence satellites prove supre­mely useful as non-aggressive and non-invasive tools to monitor enemy troop-movements, military manoeu­vres airbases and air strength.

India certainly intends to eclipse Pakistan and it has stepped into space technology in a big way. India is certainly going to take further measures to counter the growing cross-border terrorism as India's economic fortunes are set to attain higher dividends.

The Indian militarization of outer space will certainly raise questions and concerns for Pakistan. With its military surveillance and reconnais­sance system India would be able to undermine Pakistan's deterrence and could threaten Pakistan's defence. The Indian pursuit of the arms race in outer space destabilizes the strategic balance in the South Asian Region, which will propel neighboring states to boost and explore their own technological capabilities. Indian power play, in space and with regard to military spy satellite in orbit, threatens to turn space into a new sphere of military rivalry and a race towards the application of advanced technologies.

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