At 2 am on Friday, India will get its first satellite dedicated to use by the military.
The GSAT-7, which has cost Rs 185 crore, will transform the capabilities of the Indian Navy, allowing it to communicate with its fleet across the Indian Ocean through a top-secret encrypted system.
Navy ships will be able to exchange data about the precise location of enemy ships and submarines. In the process, each ship in the fleet will have a comprehensive digital map of the position of friendly forces and enemy forces.
Built by the Indian Space Research Organisation or ISRO, the satellite will be launched from Kourou in South America using a French-made Ariane rocket. Though the satellite has been built at home, India has to rent a European rocket for the launch since its own heavy rocket, the Geo-Synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) has had several mishaps, the most recent being when it nearly went up in flames recently after a massive fuel leak. The entire mission will cost India Rs 655 crore, including the rental for the rocket and insurance.
With the launch of the 2.5 tonne satellite - as heavy as five adult elephants - India will join a select club of countries including USA, Russian, France, Britain and China that have dedicated military communication satellites.