NEW DELHI (Agencies): India aims to deploy a comprehensive layer of satellites across various orbits to monitor troop movements and capture extensive imagery along its borders with China and Pakistan, as revealed by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).
The initiative, led by ISRO’s chief, Sreedhara Panicker Somanath, emphasizes the strategic importance of satellite technology in addressing border threats effectively.
Somanath highlighted the configuration of 50 satellites for geo-intelligence capabilities, set to be launched over the next five years.
The plan envisions a network of satellites spanning geostationary equatorial orbit (GEO) to lower earth orbit (LEO), utilizing communication between these layers to enhance surveillance capabilities and bolster national security.
Somanath stressed the need for India to increase its satellite count tenfold to strengthen its status as a resilient nation.
The ISRO’s upcoming launch of the PSLV-C58 X-ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat) on January 1 signifies a step forward in India’s space capabilities, focusing on the study of bright astronomical X-ray sources in extreme conditions.
The nation’s space ambitions include setting up a space station by 2035 and achieving its first manned lunar mission by 2040, aligning with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for the future.