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, Resourcesat-1 is intended to not only continue the remote sensing data services provided by
IRS-1C and
IRS-1D, 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) satellite ...
(
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) 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 resoluti ...
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 communication. 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 as ...
s to store the images taken by its cameras which can be read out later to the ground stations.
See also
*
List of Indian satellites
This list covers most artificial satellites built and operated by the Republic of India. India has been successfully launching satellites of various types from 1975. Apart from Indian rockets, these satellites have been launched from various v ...
*
Resourcesat-2
Resourcesat-2 is a follow on mission to Resourcesat-1 and the eighteenth Indian Remote Sensing Programme, Indian remote sensing satellite built by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The new satellite provides the same services as the or ...
References
{{Orbital launches in 2003
Spacecraft launched in 2003
Earth observation satellites of India
2003 in India
Spacecraft launched by PSLV rockets