Elta's Polaris (formerly TECHSAR) satellite will photograph the Earth using radar, day, night and in any weather * For the first time, a date has been set for the launch of this satellite
The Indian newspaper "The Hindu" is removed from its edition From April 25, 2007 Because the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) - actually the Indian Space Agency - will launch an Israeli satellite known as Polaris - using the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) in August of this year from Sriharikota. The satellite, which weighs 300 kg, will be able to photograph the Earth even through clouds and rain, and of course at night. The Indians did not publish this, but from public publications in Israel, it is a SAR satellite manufactured by Alta.
The newspaper reports from knowledgeable sources that the Israelis want to launch the satellite in a core-alone configuration (launch on a basic launcher), in order to launch Polaris into orbit. A small Italian satellite was launched this way last Monday, and space experts say that through these small satellite launches India is seeking to enter the international commercial satellite launch industry
In a normal configuration, six more boosters can be added to the PSLV launcher around its first stage. The PSLV is a four-stage launcher, with a total length of 44 meters and a weight of 295 tons. In the single configuration, the additional six engines are not used and therefore the launcher weighs only 230 tons.
The Indians say that the marketing company responsible for commercializing the rocket launches, Space Antrix, will launch Polaris in a single launcher configuration at rates accepted in the world.
As a reminder, in 2008, the Indians will launch an astronomical observatory in the ultraviolet field, Tel Aviv University's Towax, which will be mounted on an Indian satellite called GSAT.
