Israeli company launches satellite for Singapore government

The DS-SAR satellite launched onboard the ISRO's PSLV-C56 rocket in India on 30 July. (Indian Space Research Organisation )

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) successfully launched its Earth observation satellite – DS-SAR – into space onboard the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C56) from Sriharikota, India, the company announced on 30 July.

According to the announcement, the synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite will be utilised by Singapore's Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) and ST Electronics.

DS-SAR features a SAR payload that enables the collection of high-resolution data, day and night and in all-weather conditions. It was manufactured following IAI's experience with the OptSat series and TecSAR Earth observation and reconnaissance satellites, the company said.

IAI was unable to elaborate to Janes on the technical details of the DS-SAR satellite at the time of publication.

According to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), which owns the PSLV expendable medium-lift launch vehicle, DS-SAR is a 360 kg satellite that will operate in near-equatorial orbit (NEO) at an altitude of 535 km with 5° orbital inclination. It will be capable of collecting 1 m high-resolution imagery, and once operational, will be used to support the satellite imagery requirements of various agencies within the Singapore government and provide geospatial imagery to ST Electronics' commercial customers.

The satellite is transmitting data and will undergo a series of preplanned tests before being passed over to DSTA and ST Electronics, IAI added.