GSAT 7B & India’s Other Military Satellites

Context

Recently, the Ministry of Defense has given the Acceptance of Necessity for the GSAT-7B satellite. 

• This satellite will be a dedicated satellite for the Indian Army.

What are the GSAT 7 series satellites?

• GSAT 7 satellites are advanced satellites developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to meet the communication needs of the defence services. 
• The GSAT 7 satellite was launched in August 2013 from an Ariane 5 ECA rocket from Kourou in French Guiana.
• It is a 2,650 kg satellite which has a footprint of nearly 2,000 nautical miles in the Indian Ocean region.
• This satellite is mainly used by the Indian Navy for its communication needs.
• The satellite was injected into a geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) of 249 km perigee (nearest point to earth), 35,929 km apogee (farthest point to earth) and an inclination of 3.5 degree with respect to the equator.

Role of the GSAT 7B satellite

• The GSAT 7B will primarily fulfill the communication needs of the Army. 
  • Currently, the Army is using 30 percent of the communication capabilities of the GSAT 7A satellite, which has been designed for the Indian Air Force (IAF).
• The GSAT 7B will also help the Army enhance its surveillance in border areas.

Role of GSAT 7A satellite

• The GSAT 7A was launched in 2018 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, and has gone a long way in boosting the connectivity between the ground radar stations, airbases and the airborne early warning and control aircraft (AEW&C) of the IAF.
• It also helps in satellite controlled operations of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) which gives a great deal of reliability to the operations as compared to ground controlled operations.
• A further GSAT 7C satellite would facilitate real time communication with IAF’s software defined radio communication sets.
  • It will increase the capability of the IAF to communicate beyond the line of sight in a secure mode.