ISRO (*50*) S. Somnath.
| Photo Credit: PTI
India is aiming to launch 50 satellites in the following five years for geo-intelligence gathering which is able to embrace the creation of a layer of satellites in completely different orbits with a capability to monitor the motion of troops and picture hundreds of kilometres of space, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman S. Somanath mentioned right here on December 28.
For realising India’s aspiration to turn into a powerful nation, the present measurement of its satellite tv for pc fleet will not be sufficient and it must be “ten times what we have today”, he mentioned, talking at `Techfest’, an annual science and expertise occasion organised by the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay right here.
It was vital to enhance the power of satellites to detect modifications, to convey in extra of AI-related and data-driven strategy to analyse knowledge, scale back knowledge downloads and get solely the required data, he mentioned.
Spacecrafts are able to observing a rustic’s borders and neighbouring areas, the ISRO chief famous.
“All of it can be seen from satellites. This capability gives us enormous potential. We have been launching satellites to handle this, but there is a different way of thinking now and we need to look at it in a much more critical manner because the power of (any) nation is the ability to understand what is happening around it,” Mr. Somanath mentioned.
Many satellites are being designed and configured, he mentioned.
“We have already configured 50 satellites to be realised in the next five years and this is going to be launched for India for supporting this particular geo-intelligence capability over the next five years plus (period),” the ISRO chief added.
If India is in a position to launch satellites at this scale, threats to the nation could be higher mitigated, Mr. Somanath mentioned.
“We have found out a way by which a layer of satellites can be launched starting from GEO (geostationary equatorial orbit) to LEO (lower earth orbit) and also (in) very low earth orbit where we need very critical assessment of some situation,” he mentioned.
This is a brand new area which is developing not solely in optical, but in addition in SAR (artificial aperture radar), thermal and numerous different applied sciences, Mr. Somanath identified.
“We will have communication between satellites, so that if some satellite detects something, which is at GEO at 36,000 kms, it can have a large view. If you find some activity happening, you can task another satellite in the lower orbit (to check) much more carefully and then give more information,” he mentioned.
“We are also looking at imaging, not a very small area (but) thousands of kilometers of area and we would like to cover entire borders in everyday cycles. This is a tremendous capability that we are building if we are able to launch these satellites in the next five years,” he mentioned.
Mr. Somanath famous that the general satellite tv for pc fleet of the nation, with its present energy of 54, is “just not enough” for a nation like India which is aspiring to be highly effective and powerful.
“I think it must be ten times what we have today,” the ISRO chief mentioned.
