ISRO to launch 50 satellites in five years for geo-intelligence gathering: S Somanath
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chief S Somanath Thursday said the Indian space agency is planning to launch 50 satellites in the next five years for geo-intelligence gathering. The initiative involves the creation of a layer of satellites in different orbits with the capacity to track the movement of troops and image thousands of kilometers of area.
The current size of India’s satellite fleet is not enough and it should be "ten times what we have today," ISRO chief said while speaking at an event organized by the IIT-Bombay. Somnath noted that spacecraft are capable of observing a country's borders and neighbouring regions.
"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," PTI quoted Somanath as saying. "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)," he said "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 added.
"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
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