New Delhi: India`s earth observation capabilities are set to get a boost with the launch of indigenously-developed RISAT-1 early next year.
The satellite will be launched in the first half of the next year, ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan said today while delivering the IGNOU silver jubilee lecture here, adding RISAT-1 will be a "major milestone" for the country and a boon for regions perennially under cloud cover.
The satellite`s all weather capability to take images of the earth could also be used to keep an eye on the country`s borders round-the-clock and to help in anti-terrorist and anti-infiltration operations.
Radhakrishnan said that the Indian Remote Sensing satellites operate in the visible infrared spectrum and cannot see the earth through cloud cover.
The Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), being developed indigenously by ISRO, has the capability to take pictures of the earth 24 hours-a-day, through rain and cloud, thus boosting the country`s disaster response capabilities.
India had jointly developed RISAT-2 with Israel and launched the satellite in April last year.
It would also be beneficial in mapping and managing natural disasters, such as floods and landslides, besides amplifying defence surveillance capabilities. It would also help keep track of ships at seat that could pose a threat.
PTI
