ISRO has added another milestone by successfully testing an indigenously developed ship-borne terminal in the waters off Chennai. The trial was carried out from Sagar Manjusha, a vessel of the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT).
The system, known as SBT (Ship-Borne Terminal), is designed to support tracking and communications for platforms operating beyond the reach of land-based stations. It can help maintain links with ships, submarines, satellites and spacecraft through a sea-based monitoring setup.
According to the report, earlier ship-borne terminals relied on foreign technology and equipment. The new terminal has been developed using domestic technology through a collaboration involving ISRO’s arm ISTRAC and NIOT, and has been under testing since July 26, with all tests reported as successful.
The terminal is expected to serve as a dependable communications hub for defence-related information exchange among the armed forces, missile-related needs, and India’s human spaceflight mission Gaganyaan.
The onboard terminal is built to operate through strong winds, rain and high waves, enabling sea-based monitoring of rocket flight and sending accurate data back to land-based communication centres. This is expected to improve precise tracking of Gaganyaan’s trajectory while it travels over sea regions.
