ISRO successfully launches earth observation satellite RISAT-2B

The ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) Wednesday successfully launched earth observation satellite RISAT-2B that would enhance the country’s surveillance capabilities. The radar imaging satellite is equipped with a synthetic aperture radar that can capture images even under cloudy conditions during night time, according to officials. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman K Sivan had earlier described the mission as a “very, very important” one for the country.“This is a very, very important mission for India. It is an excellent satellite with hi-fi earth observation (capabilities),” he had said.With a mission life of five years, the satellite would also be used for military surveillance, ISRO sources told PTI. It would replace the RISAT-2 that has been in use since 2009 to monitor activities in camps in Pakistan and thwart infiltration bids by terrorists from across the border. The Polar satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C46) was used in the pre-dawn launch at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre to carry the 615-kg indigenously developed satellite. It was the 14th flight of the PSLV in its core-alone configuration sans the use of the solid strap-on motors. It was also the 72nd launch vehicle mission from Sriharikota and also marked the 36th launch from the first launch pad.The RISAT-2B (Radar Imaging Satellite-2B), meant for application in fields such as surveillance, agriculture, forestry and disaster management support, was released into the orbit around 15 minutes after the lift-off. ISRO had launched RISAT-1, a microwave remote sensing satellite, on April 26, 2012 from Sriharikota. Wednesday’s launch of the PSLV also marked the third launch in 2019. The other two were the PSLV-C45/EMISAT mission, which successfully injected the EMISAT and 29 international customer satellites into their orbits on April 1, and the PSLV-C44, which successfully placed the Microsat-R and the Kalamsat-V2 satellites in designated orbits on January 24.