India Aims High With Satellite Technology
Global Dispatches Nov 2010 Neelam Mathews New Delhi India is developing formidable satellite capabilities Printed headline: Lofting Ambitions India is becoming a power in satellite development and a significant player in the use of space for military as well as civil needs. A number of Indian-built military satellites with surveillance, imaging and navigation capabilities are planned for launch in the next few years, to both keep “a watch on the neighborhood and help guide cruise missiles” should the need emerge, says V. K. Saraswat, scientific adviser to the defense minister. “[The satellites] will have tremendous applications.” Saraswat’s statement confirms that India is becoming a space power. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), however, refuses to comment about military satellites, saying its space program is for civilian purposes only. This position has its origins in the fact that s...