TecSAR-1

Last updated

TecSAR-1
India launches Israeli satellite TecSAR.jpg
Launch of TecSAR-1 on PSLV-C10
NamesOfeq-8
TechSar
Polaris
Mission type Imaging radar
Operator Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI)
COSPAR ID 2008-002A OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
SATCAT no. 32476
Mission duration4 years (planned)
16 years, 5 months and 12 days
Spacecraft properties
Bus TECSAR Bus
Manufacturer Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI)
Launch mass295 kg (650 lb) [1]
Power750 watts
Start of mission
Launch date21 January 2008, 03:45 UTC
Rocket PSLV-CA (PSLV-C10)
Launch site Satish Dhawan, FLP
Contractor Indian Space Research Organisation
Entered service1 February 2008
End of mission
Decay date3 July 2024
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric orbit [2]
Regime Low Earth orbit
Perigee altitude 405 km (252 mi)
Apogee altitude 580 km (360 mi)
Inclination 41.03°
Period 94.50 minutes
  Ofeq-7
Ofeq-9  
 

TecSAR-1, also known as TechSAR, Polaris and Ofeq-8, [3] is an Israeli reconnaissance satellite, equipped with a synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) developed by Elta Systems. It was successfully launched at 03:45 UTC on 21 January 2008, by PSLV C-10 launch vehicle, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in India. [4]

Contents

The TecSAR satellite is fitted with a large dish-like antenna to transmit and receive radar signals that can penetrate darkness and thickness of clouds. Built by Israel Aerospace Industries, TecSAR ranks among the world's most advanced space systems. [5]

Elta Systems Ltd cooperates with Azerbaijan to produce a TecSAR reconnaissance satellite system for the country. [6] According to Azerbaijani military experts, this is an indispensable system for military operations in the mountainous terrains of Azerbaijan. [7]

Launch

The satellite was successfully delivered into its target orbit about twenty minutes after launch. The four-stage PSLV rocket flew in the CA, or "Core Alone" configuration, with no strap-on solid rocket boosters. PSLV-C10, as the launch vehicle used to launch TecSAR-1 was designated, was the second flight of a PSLV-CA, and the twelfth overall for the PSLV series. Launch was contracted by the Antrix Corporation, the commercial department of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The TecSAR-1 represents the first Israeli use of the Indian PSLV launcher. This made possible an orbit that could not be reached from Israel, with an altitude of 450-580 kilometers and inclination of 41.00°. As a result, TecSAR-1 cruises from west to east, unlike all the other surveillance satellites launched from Israel itself.

The PSLV was selected as TecSAR's launch vehicle since the Shavit launch vehicle that was used to launch the Ofeq series of satellites put constraints on possible satellite orbits. Any launch from Israeli territory must be directed westwards, towards the sea, in order to prevent the launcher's first stages (or the satellite itself, in case of a malfunction) from falling on populated areas or on foreign territory. A westward launch, that is, against the direction of the Earth's rotation, seriously restricts the weight of the satellite that the launch vehicle can carry. In the past, Israel also experienced several failures - the most recent example being the attempted Ofeq-6 launch in March 2004. In such cases, security links and the operational experience of another partner can allow alternative launches when needed. [8]

The launch was delayed several times for unclear reasons. At one point, it was rumoured that the launch had been cancelled completely due to pressure from the U.S. Government. [9] [10] Indian and Israeli authorities denied this, however, citing technical problems instead. [11] In Israel, it was rumoured that the launch had been delayed due to Iranian pressure on the Indian government. [12] However, this was eventually proven to be baseless speculation.[ citation needed ]

Orbit

TecSAR-1 was placed into a low Earth orbit with an apogee of 580 km (360 mi), a perigee of 405 km (252 mi), and an equatorial inclination of 41°.

Mission

It is capable of imaging with a resolution of up to 10 centimetres, through an X-band radar system. [13] The satellite's maximum resolution is believed to be around 1 metre. [14] TecSAR-1 is the first Israeli satellite to feature Synthetic Aperture Radar, or SAR, which will provide images day or night and under all weather conditions. [15] The satellite is being operated by Israel Aerospace Industries.

TecSAR-1 started transmitting high quality images from 1 February 2008. [15] The first image transmitted was that of the Latrun memorial monument. [16]

Strategic significance

TecSAR-1 considerably enhances Israel's intelligence-gathering capability. The satellite could potentially be the start of new strategic relations between Israel and India, and could affect the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. [17]

Israeli media discussed the strategic significance of the satellite, particularly with regard to Iran. It was reported that TecSAR-1's ability to produce images in adverse weather and at night would allow Israel to obtain more information about the suspected Iranian nuclear weapons program. [18] It was also reported that it would be capable of producing images of Iranian activities which previous satellites were unable to view. [19] [20] Another report claimed that should Israel enter a conflict with Iran in the future, information provided by TecSAR-1 could prove critical.[ citation needed ]

Iranian reaction

A fortnight after the launch, Iranian Ambassador Seyed Mehdi Nabitzadeh announced in a press conference in New Delhi that he had conveyed Iran's point of view to the Indian government regarding the launch. He emphasized his hope that "wise and independent countries like India do not give their advanced space technologies to launch spying operations against Iran". [21] The Indians however stress that the launch was purely a commercial one. [22] [23]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle</span> Indian expendable launch vehicle for launching satellites, developed by ISRO

The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) is an expendable medium-lift launch vehicle designed and operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It was developed to allow India to launch its Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellites into Sun-synchronous orbits, a service that was, until the advent of the PSLV in 1993, only commercially available from Russia. PSLV can also launch small size satellites into Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ISRO</span> Indias national space agency

The Indian Space Research Organisation is India's national space agency. It operates as the most principal research and development arm of the Department of Space (DoS), which is directly overseen by the Prime Minister of India, with the Chairman of ISRO also serving as the chief executive of the DoS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ofeq</span> Israeli reconnaissance satellites

Ofeq, also spelled Offek or Ofek is the designation of a series of Israeli reconnaissance satellites first launched in 1988. Most Ofeq satellites have been carried on top of Shavit launch vehicles from Palmachim Airbase in Israel, on the Mediterranean coast. The low Earth orbit satellites complete one Earth orbit every 90 minutes.

The Integrated Space Cell was the nodal agency within the Government of India with oversight of the security of its space based military and civilian hardware systems. It was to be jointly operated by all the three services of the Indian Armed Forces, the civilian Defence Research and Development Organisation and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). This agency was superseded by Defence Space Agency in 2019.[better source needed]

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RISAT</span> Series of Indian radar imaging satellites

RISAT (Radar Imaging Satellite) is a series of Indian radar imaging reconnaissance satellites built by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). They provide all-weather surveillance using synthetic aperture radars (SAR).

RISAT-2, or Radar Imaging Satellite-2 was an Indian radar imaging reconnaissance satellite that was part of India's RISAT programme. It was built by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and successfully launched aboard a PSLV-CA launch vehicle at 01:15:00 UTC on 20 April 2009 from the Second Launch Pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RISAT-1</span> Indian Earth observation satellite

Radar Imaging Satellite 1 or RISAT-1, was an Indian remote sensing satellite built and operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The second RISAT satellite to be launched, it used a C-band 5.35 GHz synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) for Earth observation.

The Cartosat is a series of Indian optical Earth observation satellites built and operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The Cartosat series is a part of the Indian Remote Sensing Program. They are used for Earth's resource management, defence services and monitoring.

M.Y.S. Prasad is an Indian scientist and the former director of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre Sriharikota Range (SDSC-SHAR). Govt. of India’s Civilian Award Padma Shri for the year 2014 for his distinguished service in Science and Technology.

Ofeq-10, also known as Ofek-10, is part of the Ofeq family of reconnaissance satellites designed and built by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) for the Israeli Ministry of Defense.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EOS-04</span> Indian radar imaging satellite

EOS-04 or Earth Observation Satellite - 04 is an Indian Space Research Organisation Radar Imaging Satellite designed to provide high-quality images under all weather conditions for applications such as Agriculture, Forestry & Plantations, Soil Moisture & Hydrology and Flood mapping. It is a follow on to RISAT-1 satellite with similar configuration. The satellite is developed by the ISRO and it is the sixth in a series of RISAT satellites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PSLV-C37</span> 39th mission of the PSLV space-rocket program

PSLV-C37 was the 39th mission of the Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) program and its 16th mission in the XL configuration undertaken by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Launched on 15 February 2017 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, the rocket successfully carried and deployed a record number of 104 satellites in Sun-synchronous orbits in a single mission, breaking the earlier record of launching 37 satellites by a Russian Dnepr rocket on 19 June 2014. This record was held until the launch of the Transporter-1 mission by SpaceX on 24 January 2021 which launched 143 satellites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Small Satellite Launch Vehicle</span> Indian small-lift launch vehicle

The Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) is a small-lift launch vehicle developed by ISRO with payload capacity to deliver 500 kg (1,100 lb) to low Earth orbit or 300 kg (660 lb) to Sun-synchronous orbit for launching small satellites, with the capability to support multiple orbital drop-offs. SSLV is made keeping low cost, low turnaround time in mind with launch-on-demand flexibility under minimal infrastructure requirements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PSLV-C42</span> 44th mission of the Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle program

PSLV-C42 was the 44th mission of the Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) program and its 12th mission in the Core Alone (CA) configuration. PSLV-C42 successfully carried and deployed 2 Earth observation satellites in Sun-synchronous orbits at an altitude of 588 kilometres (365 mi). It was launched on 16 September 2018 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) from the first launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. The two international satellites were launched as part of a commercial arrangement between Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) and ISRO's commercial arm Antrix Corporation Limited, run under the auspices of the Indian Government's Department of Space.

RISAT-2B, or Radar Imaging Satellite-2B is an Indian radar reconnaissance satellite that is part of India's RISAT programme and the third satellite in the series. It is built by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to replace RISAT-2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RISAT-2BR1</span> Indian Earth observation satellite

RISAT-2BR1 is a synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) imaging satellite built by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It is part of India's RISAT series of SAR imaging satellite and fourth satellite in the series. RISAT-2BR1 was launched on 11 December 2019 at 09:55 UTC aboard Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C48 from First Launch Pad (FLP) of Satish Dhawan Space Centre. It was the 50th launch of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle and 75th launch from Satish Dhawan Space Centre.

EOS-01 is an X-band, synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) based all weather Earth imaging satellite built by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for tasks pertaining to forestry, agricultural and disaster management. It is a part of India's RISAT series of SAR imaging spacecraft and would be third satellite in the series including RISAT-2B, RISAT-2BR1 with 120° phasing. EOS-01 has been developed at the cost of roughly 125 crore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PSLV-C53</span>

The PSLV-C53 is the 55th mission of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and 15th mission using PSLV-Core Alone variant. PSLV-C53 is the second dedicated commercial mission of NSIL.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PSLV-C48</span> Polar satellite launch vehicle mission by ISRO

PSLV-C48 was a mission of the Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket, launched on Thursday, December 11, 2019, at 15:25 Hrs (IST) by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) from the second launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.

References

  1. "PSLV-C10". ISRO. Archived from the original on 26 September 2014. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  2. "Trajectory: TecSAR 2008-002A". NASA. 27 April 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  3. Opall-Rome, Barbara (22 June 2010). "Israel Launches Ofeq-9 Satellite". DefenseNews. Archived from the original on 7 September 2012. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  4. "Israel launches new satellite to spy on Iran". The Guardian. 21 January 2008. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  5. Ninan Koshy India and Israel Eye Iran Archived October 12, 2009, at the Wayback Machine Foreign Policy in Focus, 13 February 2008
  6. "Azerbaijan Mum about Israeli Spy Plane, Satellite Projects". eurasianet.org. 16 August 2009. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
  7. "Israel rearms Azerbaijani army". panarmenian.net. 30 June 2009. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
  8. "Yiftah Shapir: Launch Of Israel's TecSAR Satellite". scoop.co.nz. Scoop News. 13 February 2008. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
  9. "ISRO and the spy in orbit". Deccan Herald. 3 February 2008. Retrieved 21 August 2008.[ dead link ]
  10. "Satellite launch delayed again". Archived from the original on 6 December 2007. Retrieved 21 January 2008.
  11. "The Hindu News Update Service". Archived from the original on 6 February 2008. Retrieved 21 January 2008.
  12. "Iran delayed satellite launch". The Jerusalem Post. 22 January 2008. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  13. "Covert satellite for Israel launched by Indian rocket". Spaceflight Now. 21 January 2008. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
  14. "TecSAR (SAR Technology Demonstration Satellite)". eoportal.org. 18 June 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  15. 1 2 "IAI's TecSAR Satellite Transmits First High-Quality Photos". The Space Fellowship. 3 February 2008. Retrieved 5 February 2008.
  16. "Israeli TecSAR spy satellite beams first images". Aviation and Aerospace. 1 February 2008. Retrieved 5 February 2008.
  17. Ninan Koshy India and Israel Eye Iran Archived October 12, 2009, at the Wayback Machine Foreign Policy in Focus, 13 February 2008
  18. Katz, Yaakov (21 January 2008). "Spy satellite launched from India". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  19. Yossi Melman, Analysis: New Israeli spy satellite sends Iran a message Haaretz 21 January 2008 accessed 13 February 2008
  20. India' space station launches Israel's new 'spy satellite Archived 2008-07-04 at the Wayback Machine Middle East News 21 January 2008 accessed 13 February 2008
  21. India-Israel space ties irk Iran Archived May 31, 2010, at the Wayback Machine Rediff 5 February 2008, accessed 13 February 2008
  22. "PSLV-C10". Archived from the original on 22 October 2008. Retrieved 27 October 2008.
  23. "India launches Israeli spy satellite". The Tribune. 21 January 2008. Retrieved 7 January 2023.