The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully launched the country’s first indigenous Radar Imaging Satellite (RISAT-1) aboard the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C19).
The satellite was launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh
RISAT-1 will be sent by the PSLV into an orbit of 480km altitude at an inclination of 97.552° while its final orbital configuration at 536km altitude will be achieved over the next three days using the satellite’s onboard thrusters.
Weighing 1,858kg, RISAT-1 is an active microwave image sensing satellite equipped with synthetic aperture radar (SAR) payload and it is the heaviest spacecraft launched by a PSLV to date.
The satellite will operate in the C-band to provide all weather, day / night imaging ability as well as provide images of the Earth with coarse, fine and high spatial resolutions.
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By GlobalDataDuring its five year mission life, the satellite will deploy its remote sensing capability to capture images even during cloudy conditions and offer critical data inputs for various applications.
Through its continuous surveillance ability, it is expected to assist India in the field of agriculture and paddy monitoring during the Kharif season and provide information about natural disasters, which include floods and cyclones among others.
ISRO said that the PSLV C-19, the 21st flight in the PSLV series of satellite launches, is also the third launch using the PSLV-XL, which was earlier used to launch India’s Chandrayaan-1 and GSAT-12 communication satellites.
India has invested nearly INR5bn ($95.5m) for the mission, which aid the development of the satellite and construction of the PSLV-C19 launch vehicle.
Image: The successful launch of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)-C19 carrying the Radar Imaging Satellite-1 (RISAT-1). Photo: Indian Space Research Organisation.
