52 spy satellites to become eyes on the border; launch within 18 months

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: India will launch 52 spy satellites within 18 months to capture every move of China and Pakistan. The project, called SBS-03, is being implemented by ISRO and private companies. The satellites will weigh between 10 and 500 kilograms. They will have a lifespan of six years. The Indian space agency IN–SPACe is incharge.

India currently has 12 spy satellites in the Cartosat, EMISAT, Microsat and RISAT series. These perform multi-purpose surveillance for India. In contrast, the new satellites will perform border surveillance, special missions for the Army, Navy and Air Force, and coordination.

The initial plan was to launch 52 satellites within five years. However, it was decided to complete the launch before 2028, in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack and the subsequent conflict with Pakistan. The central government has directed that as many satellites as possible should be operational by December next year. Private companies were also included in the project following this.

India has so far launched 127 satellites for various purposes such as information distribution, navigation, earth observation, weather, etc. 22 are in low orbit and 29 in high orbit.

China has 245 "spies"

• India's border: 7000 km of coastline. 15106 km of borderland shared with Bhutan, China, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Myanmar and Nepal

• With the advent of the spy satellite network, the entire border will be under their surveillance

• India has 9 border countries including Sri Lanka and Maldives. Out of these, Pakistan and China have spy satellites

• China has 245 spy satellites. Pakistan has PRES-1 and P.A.K.T.E.S-1A launched with the help of China