May 3, 2012: On April 26, India launched its first locally
designed and manufactured radar satellite: Risat 1. The 1.9 ton
satellite was put into a 480 kilometers high orbit by an Indian
PSLV rocket. This was the 20th successful launch of the PSLV.
Risat 1 is designed to last for at least five years and will
mainly be used for monitoring natural disasters and agriculture.
In wartime it can be used to monitor military operations. In
peacetime it can be used to assist in counter-terror operations.
India already has a radar satellite in orbit: Risat 2. This one
was bought from Israel and launched three years ago using a PSLV
rocket. The low orbit (550 kilometers) RISAT 2 weighs 300 kg
(660 pounds) and can identify items three meters or larger in a
narrow (a ten kilometers wide swath) beam or 50 meters using a
wide (240 kilometers wide) beam. Risat 2 was obtained and
launched in five months in response to the 2008, Mumbai terror
attacks. Radar satellites are particularly effective for
tracking ships at sea. Unlik