Remote sensing satellite Resourcesat-2A was launched from Sriharikota at 10.24 a.m. on Wednesday. It was the only passenger flown aboard the PSLV-C36 rocket.
“It was a perfect launch,” declared A.S. Kiran Kumar, chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation, after confirmation came 18 minutes later that the satellite had been deployed at 824 km from Earth.
“We have put one more operational [Earth observation] satellite in orbit,” he said in an address from the launch complex, the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in coastal Andhra Pradesh.
The 1,235-kg spacecraft now orbits in a pole-to-pole sun-synchronous path close to the intended position, inclined 98.7 degrees to the equator. The orbit will be adjusted slightly in the coming days by the ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network in Bengaluru.
What it means
Resourcesat-2A is a follow-on to two predecessor spacecraft for the observation of Earth from space. For at least the next five years, it ensures continuous three-tier remote-sensing data. Resourcesat-1 was put in space in October 2003 and Resourcesat-2 in April 2011, each with a planned life of five years.
The first images are expected from December 15. Once its orbit is stabilised and it is paired with Resourcesat-2, the new spacecraft will start giving improved and more frequent data, said satellite director S.K. Nagesh.
The satellite’s three cameras of different resolutions will soon start giving regular micro and macro information about the land and waterbodies below, farmlands, their crop area and production estimation, forests, soil mapping, drought, mineral deposits, and rural and urban spreads, besides guiding in disaster management, ISRO said.
According to an ISRO official, the AWiFS (Advanced Wide Field Sensor) provides images of 56-metre resolution, which would be useful at the State level. The LISS-3 (Linear Imaging Self-scanning Sensor) of 23.5-metre resolution can take pictures at the district level, while LISS-4 (5.6 metres) can provide taluk-level information.
Success streak
In 2016, nine missions have taken off successfully from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, including the more powerful GSLV, said launch centre director P. Kunhikrishnan. For the light-lifting PSLV, it was the 37th straight successful flight. It was configured in the extended XL version that has six small strap-on motors. ISRO’s old reliable vehicle has launched 122 spacecraft since 1994, of which 43 are Indian.
