Resourcesat-1 (also known as IRS-P6) is an advanced remote sensing satellite built by Indian Space Research Organization (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 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 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).

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 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 resolut ...

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 Gigabits 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