Earth observation satellite launch on August 12: ISRO seems to lost its beat due to Covid19

Launching of Earth Observation Satellite.

Tuesday, 10th August 2021

The goal of the Indian Space Research Organization (Isro) is to gain momentum after the launch of Earth observation satellites on August 12. The launch will mark the return of service to the main space agency, which has largely ceased due to the deadly coronavirus pandemic.

The satellite, also known as Geographic Imaging Satellite 1 (GISAT1), was originally scheduled to be launched in March 2020 but was dismantled due to a technical failure. The satellite will be launched on the F10 Geostationary Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) from Sriharikota at 5:43 am on August 12. The final launch will depend on weather conditions.

The GSLV flight will carry satellites in a warhead-shaped payload fairing with a diameter of 4 meters. The fairing will fly on a rocket for the first time. So far, the rocket has carried out 13 flights to deploy satellites and related missions in space.

What is Earth Observation Satellite?

Earth observation satellites will play a key role in disaster management and mitigation in India because they can monitor natural disasters such as floods and hurricanes that are common in the Indian subcontinent in near real-time. The satellite will image the entire country four to five times a day and send key data related to climate and environmental changes to different agencies.

The satellite will be placed in a geosynchronous transfer orbit by GSLV, after which it will move synchronously with Earth. The satellite will be equipped with 6-band, near-infrared multispectral visible light with a resolution of 42 meters, 158-band hyperspectral visible light, and 318-meter resolution in the near-infrared and 191-meter hyperspectral short-wave infrared 256 bands. resolution payload imaging sensor.

What is GSLV?

The August 12 launch will be the second flight of the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mk III, which will launch the ambitious Lunar New Year 2 spacecraft to the Moon for the last time. The launch vehicle placed the lunar spacecraft in a higher orbit, effectively saving fuel, which became a great achievement for Isro's engineers.

At the same time, Isro has made further changes to its fairing, which will act as a cargo hold, giving it a 4-meter diameter Warhead shape, which will improve aerodynamic performance. The fourth-generation launch vehicle is a three-stage launch vehicle with four liquid belts. The self-developed cryogenic upper stage (CUS) is the third stage of the GSLV Mk II.

According to Isro, "GSLV's ability to place up to 5 tons in low Earth orbit expands the range of payloads from heavy satellites to multiple smaller satellites."

ISRO finding lost momentum

With the launch of Earth observation satellites, Isro plans to conduct four more such launches in the next five months. The agency plans to launch large missions, such as the first Gaganyaan, Chandrayaan3, and Aditya L1 unmanned flights to the sun, but all have been delayed.

Isro will next send EOS4, a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) radar imaging satellite that can be captured through clouds during the day and at night. The satellite will be launched on the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) in September. It will become a key part of the defense system due to its ability to penetrate clouds and observe infrared rays.

The agency also aims to launch the first Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) before the end of this year. SSLV is a fully robust three-stage launch vehicle that can send a 500 kg payload into polar orbit, 500 kilometers from the earth's surface, and send a 300 kg payload into polar orbit synchronous with the Sun.

Isro will use the newly developed launch system to provide on-demand services and launch small satellites.

The News Talkie Bureau

Source:

Indiatoday