GISAT-1 will be India’s first agile Earth observation satellite, Set to Launch on March 5

GSLV-F10 is scheduled to launch Geo Imaging Satellite from Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota.

According to Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Geo Imaging Satellite-1 (GISAT-1) will be India’s first agile Earth observation satellite operating from Geostationary orbit. It will Launch at 17:43 Hrs IST on March 5th by GSLV-F10.

In this flight, A 4 metre diameter Ogive shaped payload fairing (OPLF) is being flown for the first time in Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) to accommodate a larger spacecraft.

Image Credit: ISRO.
Image Credit: ISRO.

Moreover, Weighing about 2268 kg, GISAT-1 is the first state-of-the-art agile Earth observation satellite which will be placed in a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit by GSLV-F10. Subsequently, It will reach the final geostationary orbit using its onboard propulsion system.

Image Source: ISRO.
Image Source: ISRO.

Following the official data, It is the fourteenth flight of the GSLV. Operating from geostationary orbit, GISAT-1 will facilitate near real time observation of the Indian subcontinent, under cloud free condition, at frequent intervals.

Objectives

  • To provide near real time imaging of large area region of interest at frequent intervals
  • For quick monitoring of natural disasters, episodic events and any short term events
  • To obtain spectral signatures for agriculture, forestry, mineralogy, disaster warning, cloud properties, snow & glaciers and oceanography.

The Satellite is configured around modified I-2k bus carrying multispectral and hyperspectral payloads in different bands with improved spatial and temporal resolution.

Despite the same, GSLV-F10 will be used to place the satellite in a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) at around 36,000 km altitude. And this GTO is an elliptical orbit that is used to transfer satellites between two circular orbits of different radiuses but is in the same plane.

(Author: Trilok Singh is with CEO here).

Outbreak of Coronavirus puts “global recovery” at risk: IMF to G20 and WHO

World Rare Disease Day 2020, Are they more common than you think?