Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in its 40th flight (PSLV-C38) launched, by the 44.4-metre tall rocket, as its primary payload the 712 kg Cartosat-2 series satellite for earth observation, and 30 co-passenger satellites of various countries together weighing about 243 kg (Total weight of 955 kg) into a 505 km polar Sun Synchronous Orbit (SSO) from the First Launch Pad (FLP) of Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota at 9.29 am on Friday Jun 23, 2017 and injected the 31 satellites into orbit about 27 minutes after lift-off.
ISRO release stated that, after a flight of 16 minutes the Cartosat-2 series satellite achieved a polar Sun Synchronous Orbit of 505 km inclined at an angle of 97.44 degree to the equator very close to the intended orbit. Later, all the other 30 satellites successfully separated from the PSLV in a predetermined sequence. After separation of the satellite, the two solar arrays of Cartosat-2 series satellite were deployed automatically and ISRO’s Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) at Bengaluru took over the control of the satellite. In the coming days, the satellite will be brought to its final operational configuration following which it will begin to provide various remote sensing services using its panchromatic (black and white) and multispectral (colour) cameras.
Cartosat-2 is a remote sensing satellite and is the seventeenth flight of PSLV in ‘XL’ configuration (with the use of solid strap-on motors) similar in configuration to earlier satellites in the series, with the objective of providing high-resolution scene specific spot imagery. The imagery sent by the satellite would be useful for cartographic applications, urban and rural, coastal land use and regulation, utility management like road network monitoring, water distribution, creation of land use maps, change detection to bring out geographical and man-made features and various other land information systems (LIS) as well as geographical information systems (GIS).Cartosat-2 satellites can take pictures of any place that you want. You can choose the required imagery and programme the satellite.
Cartosat-2 dubbed as a ‘smart eye in the sky’, is an advanced remote sensing satellite that is expected to give a boost to India’s military surveillance capabilities, according to PTI. With the launch of the third spacecraft in the Cartosat-2 series, the images sent by the dedicated satellite for defence forces are expected to become sharper and wider. The previous satellite in the series had a resolution of 0.8 metres and the images it took over India’s neighbourhood had helped India carry out surgical strikes on seven terror launch pads across the Line of Control last year, according to ISRO sources. The latest remote sensing satellite has a resolution of 0.6 metres, which means it can spot even smaller objects. It can recognise objects within that square (0.6 m by 0.6 m). Cartosat 2 will give a leg up to our defence surveillance. It can be used in identifying terrorist camps and bunkers and some enemy formations. Once this satellite becomes operational, it would be handed over to the defence forces, which have their own set up, including ground-stations and trained manpower to access data.
Cartosat-2 can produce images of up to 100 cm in resolution (black and white), compared to the 80 cm offered by Ikonos from which India used to buy images in the past. But Ikonos used to charge about $20 per square km of imagery. India buys images worth about Rs 2 crore per year from Ikonos. Cartosat-2 offers better resolution at 20 times less cost. The IKONOS satellite sensor was successfully launched as the first commercially available high resolution satellite sensor (0.82m) on September 24, 1999 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, USA.
NIUSAT, a 15 kg nano satellite, designed and developed by the Noorul Islam University in Kanyakumari district of the south eastern state of Tamil Nadu is one of the co-passenger satellites besides other 29 nano satellites from 14 countries, included 10 from the US, three each from UK, Belgium and Italy, and one each from Austria, Chile, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia.
NIUSAT satellite would provide multi-spectral imagery for agricultural crop monitoring and disaster management support applications.
The 29 International customer Nano satellites were launched as part of the commercial arrangements between Antrix Corporation Limited (Antrix), a Government of India company under Department of Space (DOS) and the commercial arm of ISRO and the International customers.
Friday’s launch, by ISRO under its chairman A S Kiran Kumar, was another demonstration of the high capability of the heavier XL-version of the PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) rocket which has been successfully used multiple times in the last couple of years to launch many satellites. The same rocket, PSLV-C37, in its previous flight in February 2017, satellites had made a world record, delivering 104 into space. The next highest number of satellites to be launched on a single rocket is only 37, achieved by the Dnepr rocket of Russia in June 2014.
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