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The Military Earth Space Technology

India Launches Its First All-Weather Spy Satellite 97

Posted by timothy from the everybody's-doing-it dept.
murthydn writes "According to a Times of India article, 'India on Monday successfully launched its first all-weather spy satellite that will help security agencies keep a watch on the movements on the borders. The satellite has all-weather capability to take images of the Earth and would also be beneficial in mapping and managing natural disasters, such as floods and landslides, besides amplifying defence surveillance capabilities of the nation. It would also help keep track of ships at sea that could pose a threat.'"
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India Launches Its First All-Weather Spy Satellite More

India Launches Its First All-Weather Spy Satellite

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  • All-Weather? so it can work with out rain fade?

  • But the headline says... (Score:5, Informative)

    by clickclickdrone ( 964164 ) on Monday April 20, 2009 @07:56AM (#27644281)
    "RISAT-2 not a spy satellite: ISRO chief". Methinks the story changed during the 'slashdot delay' window.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by ap7 ( 963070 )

      Well, the Indian media has also been calling it a spy satellite for weeks now.

    • Re:But the headline says... (Score:4, Insightful)

      by theCoder ( 23772 ) on Monday April 20, 2009 @12:16PM (#27648393) Homepage Journal

      From TFA:

      "Though the satellite has a global coverage we will use it only for our use," ISRO chief G Madhavan Nair told reporters at a post-launch press conference.

      Yeah... just like RICO was only used against gangsters, the PATRIOT act only against terrorists, and asset forfeiture only against drug lords. And red light cameras and automatic speed traps are for safety, not revenue generation. Sure.

      Not that there's any reason that they couldn't or shouldn't use their new satellite to look at other nations, it's just annoying when officials say something like that that they know (or should know) will be false.

  • Snigger... (Score:5, Funny)

    by clickclickdrone ( 964164 ) on Monday April 20, 2009 @07:58AM (#27644309)
    I see further down:
    "He said the launch of Anusat has prompted six other educational institutions"
    With a name like that it *has* to be for looking at Uranus.

    • Re:Snigger... (Score:5, Informative)

      by ap7 ( 963070 ) on Monday April 20, 2009 @08:27AM (#27644625)

      Perhaps you were trying to be funny, but in case you were not, 'Anu' in Hindi means atom. So the name Anusat was probably for a very small satellite.

      • Re: (Score:2, Funny)

        by Anonymous Coward

        Perhaps you were trying to be funny, but in case you were not, 'Anus' in English means butt. So the name Anusat was probably for a very small satellite that will explore your butt.

    • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

      by Werrismys ( 764601 )
      PROFESSOR FARNSWORTH: I'm sorry, Fry, but astronomers renamed Uranus in 2620 to end that stupid joke once and for all. FRY: Oh. What's it called now? PROFESSOR FARNSWORTH: Urectum.

  • So... (Score:5, Funny)

    by elrous0 ( 869638 ) * on Monday April 20, 2009 @08:05AM (#27644391)
    It can withstand the weather in space?
    • Yes, it can withstand even the nastiest space typhoon...

    • Re:So... (Score:4, Informative)

      by rumith ( 983060 ) on Monday April 20, 2009 @10:02AM (#27646127)
      Actually, shielding spacecrafts from the effects of space weather is a real problem! Aah, nothing like the sound of onboard electronics getting fried with a ton of high-speed protons from a coronal mass ejection :-)

    • With the implication being that the operations of certain other spy satellites are subject to present weather conditions in space. And I supposed since this is an all-weather spy satellite, they've solved the problem of getting hit by space rocks.

  • managing natural disasters, such as floods and landslides

    We're talking about India here. That specific part of the satellite's remit will occupy all of it's attention, I'm afraid. They don't seem to get much luck in that area...

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by EvilToiletPaper ( 1226390 )
      Apart from that it's sandwiched by Pakistan and Afghanistan on the left and China and Burma on the right.

      They don't seem to have much luck in that area either..

  • I get the feeling... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by lobiusmoop ( 305328 ) on Monday April 20, 2009 @08:06AM (#27644405) Homepage

    It might be keeping an close eye on Pakistan's nuclear weapons facilities too, given the way that country is heading. Can't be much fun having a collapsing nuclear power next door.

  • So now, when Pakistan gets upset with India, they'll shoot down the satellite, which will mark the first space war.. Which will mark the way for N.K shooting down a US satellite, and we'll be in the wild wild west!!!

    Not saying they shouldn't do it.. But it's an 'oh boy' moment for me.

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by drinkypoo ( 153816 )

      Extremely doubtful that the pakis could kill a sat at this point. Not impossible, but it's a non-trivial task. Also, the rest of the developed world would take a gigantic shit on them, because it would clutter up orbit even worse.

      • so we're allowed to use racist language on /. ? (Score:4, Informative)

        by fantomas ( 94850 ) on Monday April 20, 2009 @12:20PM (#27648483)

        Not sure how the term is received in the USA but over here in the UK calling somebody from Pakistan a "paki" is like calling somebody with African-American heritage a "nigger". Most people consider it outdated and downright offensive, most folk with Pakistani origins who live in the UK associate it with small minded neo-nazis shouting at them, parading through the streets and telling them to "go home" and worse.

        For your information... Not sure how the the term is received in the USA. But if you ever came on holiday to the UK you'd be better not to use the term unless you wanted to get into fights quite regularly.

        regards.

        • Re: (Score:1, Troll)

          by drinkypoo ( 153816 )

          Don't worry, I have little to no intention of coming to the UK. I was pre-coffee, which is no excuse for being a subconscious racist or whatever I am, but I'm not making one. Where I come from, I grew up referring to a crappy knife as a "paki dagger" and thinking nothing of it, which I guess is typical. Either way, I think nothing of mocking Americans, and I am one; neither does the rest of the world, for that matter. I'm Mexican, Norwegian, German, English, Polish, and French that I know of; based on my fa

        • After I found out about this (through watching clips from Big Brother) I started watching my mouth, even though none of my Pakistani friends here in the US find the term offensive at all.

          • After finding out how most of the world talks about Americans, I stopped giving one tenth of one shit about how I referred to anyone else. If they're offended they should refer to Mencken; I'm not prejudiced, I dislike everyone equally. I think the difference between the USA and any other nation is largely one of starting position on the board of Civilization.

  • SAR (Score:4, Interesting)

    by phyr ( 586855 ) on Monday April 20, 2009 @08:17AM (#27644489)
    All-weather in this case means Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and I don't believe this is anymore a spy satellite than Radarsat2.
  • "It would also help keep track of ships at sea that could pose a threat." In other words any unexpected ships heading to major ports from Pakistan.

  • First? (Score:2, Redundant)

    by Thelasko ( 1196535 )

    India Launches Its First All-Weather Spy Satellite

    How are they so sure? They're probably just the first country to admit having one.

    • India Launches Its First All-Weather Spy Satellite

      How are they so sure? They're probably just the first country to admit having one.

      You mean "probably the first of such satellites they admit having launched", right?

      • probably the first of such satellites they admit having launched

        That would imply the first satellite India admits launching. I'm talking about any country.

        • I'm talking about any country.

          The quote you started with wasn't though:

          India Launches Its First All-Weather Spy Satellite

    • Once again, a misuse of the "Redundant" mod. Although there may be posts that say the same thing above this one, it was only the 5th post on the story.

  • But it's our WEATHER! (Score:3, Funny)

    by dmomo ( 256005 ) on Monday April 20, 2009 @08:31AM (#27644693)

    How dare they spy on all our Weather. It now belongs to THEM! For great justice.

  • Pakistan replies .... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by 140Mandak262Jamuna ( 970587 ) on Monday April 20, 2009 @08:40AM (#27644833) Journal
    In response to India launching yet another satellite into orbit, Pakistan vowed it will redouble its madrassas and launch more planes into buildings.

    • Re:Pakistan replies .... (Score:5, Informative)

      by Chrisq ( 894406 ) on Monday April 20, 2009 @09:08AM (#27645249)
      I hope that this gets modded funny. However sadly I think it is informative. After all they responded to India saying it would increase border defences after the Mumbai attack by saying it would reduce efforts in the War against terror.

      • Re:Pakistan replies .... (Score:5, Informative)

        by hansraj ( 458504 ) on Monday April 20, 2009 @11:16AM (#27647357)

        That is quite some way of putting things! In all fairness you have to realize that India and Pakistan have a serious trust problem with each other. Even though India would claim that the increased border defense (read more military near India-Pakistan border) is only for defense, in case of a future tense situation it would put Pakistan under immense pressure to mobilize its forces quite suddenly. The only rational move for them, therefore, is to move forces to the border already. And that implies weakening the force available at the Pakistan-Afganistan border and thus "reducing their efforts" in the war against terror.

        Now you can all wish that we lived in a perfect world where such a reasoning in not needed, but unfortunately the reality of India-Pakistan relations is ugly and one of deep mistrust for each other. And in such a situation what you wrote in your post is a natural way to react for the parties.

        PS: I am Indian and believe that Pakistan has a fucked up priorities with regards to India and its vision for its own future, but there is no need to put a shade of propaganda to everything.

        • Re: (Score:1, Interesting)

          by Anonymous Coward

          Hansraj,

          Your analysis and comments are accurate and sensible IMHO.

          I am Pakistani, and I agree that we have major problems and our priorities are quite messed up.

          Unfortunately, along with all these problems, there is a lot of propaganda going on domestically and internationally. This masks the real problems to the extent, that most people spend hours debating upon inconsequential issues.

          Either its propaganda or people are so deluded about the rest of the world, that they can't tell black from white.

        • Well put.

          It's very tricky for the international community to even know how to help Pakistan right now. They don't have control of the North/Northwestern part of their country. They don't have leaders with any sort of vision (or even just wisdom/sense). And they are (quite justifiably) suspicious of the West and unlikely to accept help/suggestions.

          I really hope they find some way to pull out of their current situation. And if/when they do, I hope they are able to establish a good civilian government able to

    • It is just this sort of sloppy thinking that got us into Iraq.

      Insightful? Funny? This barely rises to the level of flamebait. I guess we really do need a (+1 Inciteful) moderation option.

  • Why are we (UK) still sending million of pounds of aid to a country that is launching it's own satellites?
  • When you launch an "all-weather spy satellite," remember to leave out the words "all" and "spy."

  • The satellite has all-weather capability to take images of the Earth and would also be beneficial in mapping and managing natural disasters, such as floods and landslides, besides amplifying defence surveillance capabilities of the nation. It would also help keep track of ships at sea that could pose a threat.

    Can't read TFA, since our work has it blocked for some bizarre reason (some seemingly arbitrary things are blocked), but the summary was a little amusing to me. They list off all these various ways th

  • Hopefully Indians can do more for themselves instead of being the back office grunt workers that they've been for everyone else.

  • Being an Indian, I can tell you that there is no need for an all weather satellite. Terrorists enter in broad daylight and in really good weather conditions sunglight and all and attack Indian cities. Spending this money on Border Security Force is a much better alternative.

    • With a strength of about 57 battalions, or 78,000 men, it is one of the world's largest border patrol forces.

      BSF [wikipedia.org] India already has very good border security force with lots of resources. However, India still needs to invest in these satellite projects for scientific purposes which don't get pushed in country like India, unless "War on terrorism" clauses are used. Yes. I am an Indian too.

      • India also has the worst terms with all of its neighbors :- China, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. With all the force you have mentioned, the problem of illegal immigration, supplying ammo and drugs across borders is huge in India. My point is that maybe we could supply money to these forces to modernize the BSF than use satellites to track terrorist activity, because it is not unknown to us as to when and where the terrorists come from. Its just lack of resources and corruption that is creating the
  • So can someone explain to me why it is that India can afford nuclear weapons and spy satellites but I regularly see begging tv adverts telling me I need to give generously because Indians can't afford proper eye care or to provide themselves with clean water?

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