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ISRO successfully puts three satellites into orbit on board the PSLV C-52

  • Posted By
    10Pointer
  • Categories
    Science & Technology
  • Published
    15th Feb, 2022

Recently, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched its radar imaging satellite RISAT-1A which is codenamed EOS-4. It is also ISRO's first launch under the new chairperson S. Somanath.  

Context

Recently, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched its radar imaging satellite RISAT-1A which is codenamed EOS-4. It is also ISRO's first launch under the new chairperson S. Somanath.  

  • The two co-passengers-INSPIREsat-1 and INS-2TD-were successfully separated from the PSLV in a predetermined sequence.

About RISAT-1A

  • The EOS-04 or Risat-1A, the fifth flight in its Radar Imaging Satellite (RISAT) series, is a radar imaging satellite.
  • The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-C52 launched Risat-1A into a sun-synchronous polar orbit of 529km. 
  • The primary instrument onboard is SAR-C. This stands for Synthetic Aperture Radar (in the so-called C band, with a frequency of 5.35 GHz).
    • It is a high-resolution, all-weather, multi-purpose imager for ocean, land and ice.
  • Application: The satellite is designed to provide high-quality images under all-weather conditions for applications such as
    • Agriculture
    • forestry and plantations
    • soil moisture and hydrology
    • flood mapping
    • The radar imaging satellite will also boost India's border security by facilitating an additional eye in the sky.
  • Weight: about 1710 kg, the satellite generates 2280 W power and has a
  • Mission life: 10 years

INS-2TD

  • This is a technology demonstrator built by ISRO. It is a precursor to a follow-up joint mission between India and Bhutan, for the INS-2B joint satellite. Its payload is a thermal imaging camera, designed to help assess:
    • land surface temperature
    • water surface temperature of wetlands/lakes
    • delineation of vegetation (what areas are crops? what are forests etc.?)
    • thermal inertia (temperature variation between day and night)

INSPIREsat-1

  • This is a student satellite developed by the Indian Institute of Space Science & Technology (IIST).
  • It has been built in association with the University of Colorado, USA.
  • Additional contributions have been provided by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, and National Central University, Taiwan.
  • It has two scientific payloads on board to improve understanding of
    • dynamics of the Earth’s ionosphere
    • the Sun’s coronal heating process

Upcoming Launches

  • After RISAT-1A, three satellites OCEANSAT-3, INS-2B, ANAND will be launched aboard PSLV-C53 in March and Micro SAT onboard Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) in April this year. 
  • The launch of GSAT-24 which is a communication satellite is also scheduled during the first quarter of 2022 aboard Arianespace's Ariane 5.

Verifying, please be patient.

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