Tough timing: ISRO needs more resources to support India’s military needs, Pg6

• ISRO’s PSLV-C61 failed to place EOS-09 satellite into a sun-synchronous orbit due to a third-stage glitch.

  • EOS-09 was designed for civilian uses like land-use mapping and hydrology, but also had strategic military relevance for defence surveillance.

  • The failure highlighted the need for enhanced reliability in India’s space-based systems amid strategic tensions.

  • The Department of Space had invited Members of Parliament, indicating dual-use implications beyond civilian observation.

  • Follows the January failure of NVS-02 navigation satellite, raising concern over consistency in launches.

Detailed Insights:

• EOS-09’s failure shows limitations in ISRO’s capacity to consistently deliver under pressure despite PSLV’s strong record.

  • Operation Sindoor revealed India’s reliance on foreign commercial imagery due to surveillance gaps.

  • ISRO’s launch manifest is crowded, and its resources are stretched across multiple domains (R&D, manufacturing, processing, and Gaganyaan).

  • Urgent space-based surveillance needs are competing with civilian climate and disaster monitoring objectives.

  • The Space-Based Surveillance-3 (SB-S3) programme to launch 52 surveillance satellites—31 by private sector—requires ISRO's support and oversight.

Key Concepts:

• Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR): Enables imaging in all-weather conditions, crucial for surveillance.

  • C-band Data Link: Supports high-resolution satellite communication and real-time data transfer.

  • Sun-synchronous Orbit: Preferred for Earth observation due to consistent lighting conditions.

  • Dual-use Technology: Civilian assets leveraged for military purposes (e.g., hydrology + defence mapping).

Significance:

• Reiterates ISRO’s critical role in national security and the need for increased investment and coordination.

  • Highlights the urgency to scale India’s space surveillance infrastructure amidst rising geostrategic threats.

  • Emphasises importance of indigenisation and launch reliability in a competitive and sensitive domain.

Mains Mock Question:

In light of recent mission failures and India’s growing military needs, examine the challenges faced by ISRO in ensuring reliability and dual-use capability in space-based systems.