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Phoenix666 [soylentnews.org] writes:

BBC [bbc.co.uk]:

The first all-British radar satellite has launched to orbit on an Indian rocket.

Called NovaSAR, it has the ability to take pictures of the surface of the Earth in every kind of weather, day or night.

The spacecraft will assume a number of roles but its designers specifically want to see if it can help monitor suspicious shipping activity.

Lift-off from the Satish Dhawan spaceport occurred at 17:38 BST.

NovaSAR was joined on its rocket by a high-resolution optical satellite - that is, an imager that sees in ordinary light.

Known as S1-4, this spacecraft will discern objects on the ground as small as 87cm across. Both it and NovaSAR were manufactured by Surrey Satellite Technology Limited of Guildford.

There are a few interesting aspects to this story: the satellite is completely British-built--it seems unusual in the era of global manufacturing. Second, it was put into orbit on an Indian rocket, which points up India's growing launch capabilities. Third, the satellite is tasked with tackling suspicious shipping, with implications for smuggling, piracy, and the environment.

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