Topics covered:
- Awareness in space.
RISAT 2BR1
What to study?
For prelims and mains: about RISAT 2BR1 satellite- objectives.
Context: India is planning to launch its latest radar imaging satellite RISAT 2BR1 towards the end of May 2019 on board PSLV-C46.
About RISAT:
The RISAT, which was first deployed in orbit on April 20, 2009 as the RISAT-2, uses synthetic aperture radars (SAR) to provide Indian forces with all-weather surveillance and observation, which are crucial to notice any potential threat or malicious activity around the nation’s borders.
Following the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, the launch of RISAT-2 was prioritised over RISAT- 1, as its C-band SAR radar was not yet ready and RISAT -2 carried an Israeli-built X-band radar.
The to-be-deployed RISAT-2BR1 satellite uses the same SAR band and will further improve India’s imaging reconnaissance abilities.
Sources: ET.