10 Indian Military Satellites That Can See Across The Clouds – [In 2022]

Student:- Sir, What is the importance of military satellites in the armed forces? Teacher:- A military satellite is an artificial satellite used only for various types of critical military purposes. Student:- Which type of roles do military satellites play in the armed forces? Teacher:- The military satellites play majorly 7 Types of roles - SurveillanceReconnaissanceEarly warning and imageryIntelligence (particularly electronic and signal intelligence)NavigationCommunicationMetrological details of the enemy's site Student:- Wow! It is very amazing. I want to know which military satellites the Indian armed forces use? Teacher:- Ok! Now, We know about the Indian Military Satellites All three divisions of the Indian Armed Forces use these military satellites for various purposes. Satellite NamePurposeTypeOperatorTechnology Experiment Satellite (TES)Earth observationMulti-PurposeNTRORadar Imaging Satellite-2 (RISAT-2)reconnaissanceMulti-PurposeISROCARTOSAT-2A Satelliteearth observationMulti-PurposeISROCARTOSAT-2B Satelliteearth observationMulti-PurposeISROGSAT-6A SatellitecommunicationDedicated Military SatelliteISROGSAT-7/INSAT-4F SatellitecommunicationDedicated Military SatelliteISROGSAT-7A SatellitecommunicationDedicated Military SatelliteAirforce, ArmyHYSIS Satelliteearth observationMulti-PurposeISROEMISAT SatellitereconnaissanceMulti-PurposeNTROCartosat-3 Satelliteearth observationMulti-PurposeISROList of Indian military satellites 1. Technology Experiment Satellite (TES) TES is an Earth observation and photo-repetition satellite. The National Technical Research Organization (NTRO) is an intelligence agency under the National Security Advisor (NSA) in the Prime Minister's Office that operates it. Moreover, TES has a panchromatic camera for remote sensing. The panchromatic camera is capable of producing images of 1 Meter resolution. It is used in the remote sensing of Civilian areas, mapping industry, and geographical information services. Thus, TES made India the second country that can commercially offer images with one-meter resolution after the USA. 2. Radar Imaging Satellite-2 (RISAT-2) RISAT-2 was an Indian radar imaging reconnaissance satellite that is part of India's RISAT program. ISRO built and operates the satellite. Firstly, The principal sensor of RISAT-2 is an X-band synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). It is designed to monitor India's borders and as part of anti-infiltration and anti-terrorist operations. RISAT-2 was India's first satellite with synthetic-aperture radar (SAR). It retains day-night as well as all-weather monitoring capability. Potential applications include tracking hostile ships at sea that are considered a military threat to India. 3. CARTOSAT-2A Satellite Cartosat-2A is also an NTRO-operated earth observation satellite. ISRO was developed and operates it also. In addition, The 87 kg Indian Mini Satellite (IMS-1) and 8 Nano research satellites belonging to research facilities were also launched with it. IMS-1 is a dedicated satellite for the Indian Armed Forces (IAF) which is in the process of establishing an Aerospace Command.The satellite carries a panchromatic (PAN) camera capable of taking black-and-white pictures in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum. 4. CARTOSAT-2B Satellite Same as Cartosat-2A, Cartosat-2B is also an NTRO-operated earth observation satellite. ISRO was developed and operates it also. CARTOSAT-2B Satellite The satellite carries a panchromatic camera (PAN) capable of taking black-and-white pictures in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The highly agile Cartosat-2B can be steered up to 26° along as well as across the direction of its movement to facilitate imaging of any area more frequently. Very-high-resolution land imagery. 5. GSAT-6A Satellite GSAT-6A is a communication satellite that featured a 6-meter unfurlable S-band antenna similar to the one used in GSAT-6. ISRO launched it on 29 march 2018 and operates it also.GSAT-6A was to provide mobile communication services to the Indian armed forces. It is a dedicated military satellite for the Indian army. GSAT-6A Satellite GSAT-6A is a complement to the GSAT-6 satellite which was launched in August 2015. 6. GSAT-7/INSAT-4F Satellite GSAT-7 is a multi-band military communication satellite. ISRO was developed and operates it also. It is a communication satellite that will provide services to the Indian armed forces. Moreover, GSAT-7 Satellite is known as INSAT-4F or Rukmini also. Although All divisions of the Indian Armed Forces use it the Indian Navy is its primary user. GSAT-7 Satellite The multi-band communication technology of GSAT-7 provides networking capability among various naval assets to the Indian Navy. During theatre level readiness and operation exercise (TROPEZ) in the bay of Bengal in 2014, Rukmini was able to network about 60 ships and 75 aircraft seamlessly. Moreover, Rukmini has an about 2,000 nautical mile 'footprint' over the Indian Ocean region (IOR). 7. GSAT-7A Satellite GSAT-7A is an advanced ISRO-made military communication satellite primarily for the Indian Air Force. With the Indian Air Force, 30% of its capacity is used by the Indian Army. In addition, GSAT-7A is known as Angry Bird Also. As a result, GSAT-7A provides IAF to interlink various ground radars, ground airbases, aircraft to aircraft real-time control systems, and AWACS aircraft such as Phalcon and Netra. With this, GSAT-7A improves the network-centric combat capabilities of the Indian Airforce and its global operations. With the Indian Airforce, The Aviation Corps of the Indian Army uses it for real-time control and communication of aviation operations. Further, the Indian armed forces can use it to operate high altitude and long-range satellite-controlled UAVs such as Predator-B or Sea Guardian. Read Also:- Explained: The Strategic Importance of GSAT-7C 8. HYSIS (Hyperspectral Imaging Satellite) Hysis is an Earth observation satellite. It will provide hyperspectral imaging services to India for a range of applications in agriculture, forestry, and the assessment of geographies such as coastal zones and inland waterways.Same as other satellites, ISRO operates it too, and the data will also be accessible to India's defense forces. HYSIS (Hyperspectral Imaging Satellite) H ysis carries two payloads- The first is the visible near-infrared (VNIR) with a spectral range of 0.40 to 0.95 micrometers. It also comes with 60 contiguous spectral bands.The second is a short-range infrared (SWIR) with a spectral range of 0.85 to 2.40 micrometers. Therefore, it comes with a 10-nanometer bandwidth and 256 contiguous spectral bands. 9. EMISAT (Electromagnetic Intelligence-gathering Satellite) EMISAT is a DRDO-made reconnaissance satellite under the project Kautilya. Kautilya is a package that provides space-based electronic signal intelligence or ELINT. Like the TES satellite, NTRO also operates it. EMISAT helps to boost the situational awareness of the Indian Armed Forces as it will provide the information and the location of enemy radars. Moreover, the capabilities of the Kautilya package are highly classified. It monitors radio signals to determine the location and source of all transmission. 10. Cartosat-3 Satellite The Cartosat-3 is an advanced Indian Earth Observation satellite. ISRO was developed and operates it also. Cartosat-3 replaces the Indian Remote Sensing Satellite (IRS) series. It has a panchromatic resolution of 0.25 meters making it one of the imaging satellites with the highest resolution in the world at the time of launch. And MX of 1 meter with a high-quality resolution is the main improvement from the previous payloads in the Cartosat series. Consequently, Cartosat-3 has a resolution of 25 cm. It uses 1.2 m optics with 60% weight removal compared to Cartosat-2. Other features include the use of adaptive optics, optical devices, in-orbit focusing using MEMs and large area-light weight mirrors, and advanced sensors with a high-quality resolution. So these are all military satellites that the Indian armed forces use. Student:- But sir, Is this enough? Because the Indian Armed Forces fight on two and a half fronts and the geographical structure of the Indian borders is also of many types. Teacher:- Good question! These are not enough. According to a report, India has only 6-8 military purpose satellites, which is 15 times less than China's 120 military satellites. India has spent 7 times less than china on its space programs. Currently, Pakistan has only 2 Military satellites named Press-1a and Paktes-1. These satellites come with remote sensing capabilities, which were launched by the Chinese space agency CNSA in 2018 itself. In the aftermath of the 2020 China–India skirmishes, the Indian security agencies have requested the government for an additional four to six satellites with high-resolution sensors and cameras to keep an eye on individuals and small objections on and across the Line of Actual Control. Further, we will discuss what will be The Future Of Indian Military Satellites These are the same satellites that will decide the reconnaissance, communication, and surveillance capabilities of the Indian Armed Forces in the future. GSAT-7R Satellite GSAT-7R is a planned Indian military communication satellite for the Indian Navy to replace GSAT-7. It is planned to launch by mid-2022. But ISRO will not operate GSAT-7A like GSAT-7, the Indian Navy will operate itself. GSAT-32 Satellite GSAT-6A is a complement to the GSAT-6 satellite which was launched in August 2015. Further, ISRO will plan to launch the GSAT-32 satellite as a replacement for GSAT-6A in 2022. GSAT-7C Satellite It is also a military communication satellite. INSAT 3DS Satellite Just as we saw above, it is also a military communication satellite. GISAT-2 Satellite Geo Imaging Satellite or GISAT is an Indian imaging satellite class for geostationary orbit with a high temporal resolution. It is meant for providing near real-time imaging with fast revisit capability and real-time monitoring. It will carry multi-spectral (Visible and Near-InfraRed, and Short Wave-InfraRed), multi-resolution (42 to 318 m) imaging instruments. The Indian Navy will acquire GISAT-2. GSAT-7B Satellite It is a fully dedicated military communication satellite to the Indian army. In conclusion, these are the Indian military satellites that play a vital role in the Indian Armed Forces. And like in other areas, the Indian government is working to seriously enhance satellite capabilities and make it more lethal to the enemy.