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
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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
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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.
