‘Rukmini’ satellite in surveillance of Chinese ships

With China increasing its naval presence in the Indian Ocean Region, the Indian Navy is reportedly keeping a watch on Chinese warships with the help of its satellite GSAT-7, the Navy’s own dedicated military satellite that was launched on 29 September 2013. The 2,625-kg satellite, named ‘Rukmini’, has helped the Navy monitor the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) with its 2,000 nautical mile ‘footprint’. The multi-band communication-cum surveillance satellite, which is operating from a geo-stationary orbit (at 36,000km altitude), provides real-time inputs to naval warships, submarines and maritime aircraft for networking capabilities to its naval assets on the high seas. With the help of shore-based operational centres, ‘Rukmini’ (INSAT-4F) has not only helped the Navy keep an eye on both Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal but also augment communication and surveillance capabilities from Persian Gulf to the Malacca Strait. The satellite, which has a payload power of 2000W, has a mission life of nine years.