Resourcesat-1 (also known as IRS-P6) is an advanced remote sensing satellite built by

Indian Space Research Organization The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO; ) is the national space agency of India, headquartered in Bengaluru. It operates under the Department of Space (DOS) which is directly overseen by the Prime Minister of India, while the Chairman ...

(ISRO). The tenth satellite of ISRO in

IRS series India's remote sensing program was developed with the idea of applying space technologies for the benefit of humankind and the development of the country. The program involved the development of three principal capabilities. The first was to desi ...

, Resourcesat-1 is intended to not only continue the remote sensing data services provided by

IRS-1C IRS-1C was the fifth remote sensing Indian satellite built, and designed by Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). IRS-1C is first second-generation operational Remote Sensing Satellite. The satellite carries payloads with enhanced capabili ...

and

IRS-1D IRS-1D is the seventh satellite in Indian Remote Sensing satellite series of Earth Observation satellites, built, launched and maintained by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The satellite has similar capabilities as that of ISRO's IR ...

, both of which have far outlived their designed mission lives, but also vastly enhance the data quality.

Launch

The 1360 kg Resourcesat-1 was launched into an 817 km high polar

Sun-synchronous orbit A Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO), also called a heliosynchronous orbit, is a nearly polar orbit around a planet, in which the satellite passes over any given point of the planet's surface at the same local mean solar time. More technically, it is ...

by the eighth flight of India's

Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) is an expendable medium-lift launch vehicle designed and operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It was developed to allow India to launch its Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellites ...

(

PSLV-C5 PSLV-C5 was the fifth operational launch and overall eighth mission of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle program. This launch was also the fifty-second launch by the Indian Space Research Organisation (IRSO) since its first mission on 1 January 1 ...

Instruments

Resourcesat-1 carries three cameras similar to those of IRS-1C and IRS-1D but with vastly improved spatial resolutions - a high resolution Linear Imaging Self-Scanning Sensor-4 (LISS-4) operating in three spectral bands in the

Visible Visibility, in meteorology, is a measure of the distance at which an object or light can be seen. Visibility may also refer to: * A measure of turbidity in water quality control * Interferometric visibility, which quantifies interference contrast ...

and Near Infrared Region (

VNIR The visible and near-infrared (VNIR) portion of the electromagnetic spectrum has wavelengths between approximately 400 and 1100 nanometers (nm). It combines the full visible spectrum with an adjacent portion of the infrared spectrum up to the ...

) with 5.8 metre

spatial resolution In physics and geosciences, the term spatial resolution refers to distance between independent measurements, or the physical dimension that represents a pixel of the image. While in some instruments, like cameras and telescopes, spatial resolutio ...

and steerable up to 26° across track to obtain stereoscopic imagery and achieve five-day revisit capability; a medium resolution Linear Imaging Self-Scanning Sensor-3 (LISS-3) operating in three spectral bands in VNIR and one in Short Wave Infrared (SWIR) band with 23.5 metre spatial resolution; and an Advanced Wide Field Sensor (AWiFS) operating in three spectral bands in VNIR and one band in SWIR with 56 metre spatial resolution. Resourcesat-1 also carries a solid state recorder with a capacity of 120

Gigabit The bit is the most basic unit of information in computing and digital communications. The name is a portmanteau of binary digit. The bit represents a logical state with one of two possible values. These values are most commonly represented a ...

s to store the images taken by its cameras which can be read out later to the ground stations.

References

{{Orbital launches in 2003 Spacecraft launched in 2003 Earth observation satellites of India 2003 in India Spacecraft launched by PSLV rockets

Launch

Instruments

See also

References