Indian Space Research Organisation&rsquo;s PSLV-C40 rocket carried the Cartosat 2 series satellite along with 30 other satellites of foreign and Indian origin. It was by far the longest mission placing satellites in two different orbits.

&nbsp;

This satellite in the Cartosat 2 series, which is made with the objective of providing high-resolution scene-specific spot imagery which will be used for Land Information System (LIS) as well as Geographical Information System (GIS)-based applications.&nbsp;

This satellite, weighing 710 kg, is carrying on board the state-of-art technology in terms of panchromatic (PAN) camera that take black and white pictures of the earth in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The swath covered by this high-resolution PAN camera is 9.6 km and their spatial resolution is less than 1 metre.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

India&rsquo;s neighbour and arch rival Pakistan has raised questions over the usage of the satellite by India and showed its concern which is not without reason.

&nbsp;

Islamabad&rsquo;s Foreign Office spokesperson said New Delhi must refrain from putting the new satellite to military use which could create trouble in the region. He said, &ldquo;All space technologies, including earth observation satellites, are inherently dual use and can be employed for both civilian and military purposes and therefore it is essential that such pursuits are not directed towards a build-up of destabilizing military capabilities, which can negatively impact the regional strategic stability.&rdquo;&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The sources say that the ability of this satellite to steer up to 45 degrees along as well as across the track, is what sets it apart from the previous in series. This ability combined with high-resolution imagery adds power to the celestial vision. Now the observatories in India need not waste time giving orbital corrections to be over the area of interest, instead, the steering itself could do the trick. In short, it implies that larger areas in real time can now be scanned, almost eliminating the shadow periods. Monitoring of missile and nuclear activities as also the terror infrastructures in Pakistan will now be under constant Indian watch by the combined surveillance of Cartosat 2, EROS A and RISAT satellites.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Cartosat-2&#39;s panchromatic camera can produce images better than 1 meter in resolution. To be precise, the resolution is .8 meters which is even better when compared to the 82 cm panchromatic resolution offered by the Ikonos satellite. India had been previously purchasing images from Ikonos at about US$20 per square kilometre; the use of Cartosat-2, now provides imagery at 20 times lower cost. At the time of Cartosat-2&#39;s launch, India was buying images worth about ₹20 crore per year from the American Ikonos operated by Digital Globe.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Today&rsquo;s launch of Cartosat 2 satellite enhances India&rsquo;s military capabilities in its space-based assets manifolds. With GSAT-7 and GSAT-6, satellites are being developed for strategic purposes. The earlier remote-sensing satellites (sub-metre resolution, matching with the best in the world) launched by ISRO as dual-purpose satellites like the technology experimental satellite (TES, 2000) and the four cartographic satellites (CARTOSAT-1, 2, 2A and 2B in 2005, 2007, 2008, 2010) places itself in the elite club.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

With Israeli assistance, India has also launched two Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites called RISAT II (2009) and RISAT I (2011). These satellites visit the target area every 3-4 days. At any given moment and time there always exists surveillance over sensitive areas which has further enhanced by today&rsquo;s launch.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

Cartosat 2 satellites will give images with a resolution of .8 metres, save 20 Cr INR each year and enhance India's military capabilities in the space.

Indian Space Research Organisation’s PSLV-C40 rocket carried the Cartosat 2 series satellite along with 30 other satellites of foreign and Indian origin. It was by far the longest mission placing satellites in two different orbits. This satellite in the Cartosat 2 series, which is made with the objective of providing high-resolution scene-specific spot imagery which will be used for Land Information System (LIS) as well as Geographical Information System (GIS)-based applications. This satellite, weighing 710 kg, is carrying on board the state-of-art technology in terms of panchromatic (PAN) camera that take black and white pictures of the earth in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The swath covered by this high-resolution PAN camera is 9.6 km and their spatial resolution is less than 1 metre. India’s neighbour and arch rival Pakistan has raised questions over the usage of the satellite by India and showed its concern which is not without reason. Islamabad’s Foreign Office spokesperson said New Delhi must refrain from putting the new satellite to military use which could create trouble in the region. He said, “All space technologies, including earth observation satellites, are inherently dual use and can be employed for both civilian and military purposes and therefore it is essential that such pursuits are not directed towards a build-up of destabilizing military capabilities, which can negatively impact the regional strategic stability.” The sources say that the ability of this satellite to steer up to 45 degrees along as well as across the track, is what sets it apart from the previous in series. This ability combined with high-resolution imagery adds power to the celestial vision. Now the observatories in India need not waste time giving orbital corrections to be over the area of interest, instead, the steering itself could do the trick. In short, it implies that larger areas in real time can now be scanned, almost eliminating the shadow periods. Monitoring of missile and nuclear activities as also the terror infrastructures in Pakistan will now be under constant Indian watch by the combined surveillance of Cartosat 2, EROS A and RISAT satellites. Cartosat-2's panchromatic camera can produce images better than 1 meter in resolution. To be precise, the resolution is .8 meters which is even better when compared to the 82 cm panchromatic resolution offered by the Ikonos satellite. India had been previously purchasing images from Ikonos at about US$20 per square kilometre; the use of Cartosat-2, now provides imagery at 20 times lower cost. At the time of Cartosat-2's launch, India was buying images worth about ₹20 crore per year from the American Ikonos operated by Digital Globe. Today’s launch of Cartosat 2 satellite enhances India’s military capabilities in its space-based assets manifolds. With GSAT-7 and GSAT-6, satellites are being developed for strategic purposes. The earlier remote-sensing satellites (sub-metre resolution, matching with the best in the world) launched by ISRO as dual-purpose satellites like the technology experimental satellite (TES, 2000) and the four cartographic satellites (CARTOSAT-1, 2, 2A and 2B in 2005, 2007, 2008, 2010) places itself in the elite club. With Israeli assistance, India has also launched two Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites called RISAT II (2009) and RISAT I (2011). These satellites visit the target area every 3-4 days. At any given moment and time there always exists surveillance over sensitive areas which has further enhanced by today’s launch. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

Opinion: ISRO satellites give India panopticon surveillance over targets

When Dr Vikram Sarabhai established ISRO in 1969, he had a vision in mind. The organisation must grow and stand ahead of many world superpowers. Today at 9:58 am with the launch of its 100th satellite from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sri Harikota, India became the only developing country to be part of a centurion&rsquo;s club. The PSLV-C-40 Rocket of ISRO placed a total of 31 satellites and a payload of over 1323 Kilograms in a polar sun-synchronous orbit.

&nbsp;

This launch was unique. All the 31 satellites were not launched together. The first satellite was placed in an orbit 359 Km above the earth while other 30 satellites were placed in a 550 Km high orbit. It involved two stages and both successful. It proves that the Indian scientists are still carrying the lineages of Varahmihir, Aryabhatta and many others who placed India as a &ldquo;Vishwaguru&rdquo; or the teacher of the world once upon a time.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

ISRO is, technically, the youngest of the top 5 space organisations. It faced serious setbacks due to restrictions but, nevertheless, succeeded in catapulting India among the top 5 space powers of the world. And the reason to rejoice is that this entire success is attributable to our sheer hard work and no other country had been involved in this success. We developed everything at our own from scratch and the result is astounding. That&rsquo;s the beauty of our technology.

&nbsp;

The journey of satellite launch with ISRO which started with the launch of a small 35 Kg Rohini I satellite through Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV) in 1980 which is now grown to a capacity of 4 Tonnes with GSLV MK III in just 30 years. The variety of satellites also progressed with time.&nbsp; Rohini-I had just simple remote sensing capability while modern day Cartosat-2 which can provide crystal clear images of less than 1-meter resolution. We are launching satellites in multiple orbits with the use of a single launch vehicle.

Today Indian scientists are experts in the technology of multiple burns which is switching on and switching off the Rocket&rsquo;s engine multiple times to control its height. Everything was controlled remotely with the precision of a nuclear clock.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

ISRO&rsquo;s Workhorse PSLV has proved its mettle once again. PSLV has the lowest failure rate and out of its 42 launches, only two have failed. This is the reason why the countries who used to send Indian satellites in the space a few decades back are now relying on ISRO to send their satellites in the space due to the accuracy and low error probability of Indian technology. It has the rare distinction to launch Chandrayan I and Mangalyaan too.

&nbsp;

Earlier Launch vehicles did not have such brilliant success ratio. We have grown from 50% of SLV and ASLV to 95% of PSLV and now the future of ISRO is visible in GSLV Mk III with 100% success rate till now.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Today India boasts its own Global Positioning System (NAViC) run through IRNSS Satellites which is unique in the world and can deliver good results even if one of the desired satellite is out of communication.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The future of the Indian Technology is seen clearly. It is helping the country in various applications. We are able to excel in defence, communications, remote sensing, agriculture, disaster management, education, surveys, broadcast and many other fields of life. We are creating examples for other countries as to how they can better use their talent. We are truly moving ahead to be a &ldquo;Vishwaguru&rdquo; once again.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

Countries who used to send Indian satellites in the space a few decades back are now relying on ISRO to send their satellites in the space due to the accuracy and low error probability of Indian technology.

When Dr Vikram Sarabhai established ISRO in 1969, he had a vision in mind. The organisation must grow and stand ahead of many world superpowers. Today at 9:58 am with the launch of its 100th satellite from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sri Harikota, India became the only developing country to be part of a centurion’s club. The PSLV-C-40 Rocket of ISRO placed a total of 31 satellites and a payload of over 1323 Kilograms in a polar sun-synchronous orbit. This launch was unique. All the 31 satellites were not launched together. The first satellite was placed in an orbit 359 Km above the earth while other 30 satellites were placed in a 550 Km high orbit. It involved two stages and both successful. It proves that the Indian scientists are still carrying the lineages of Varahmihir, Aryabhatta and many others who placed India as a “Vishwaguru” or the teacher of the world once upon a time. ISRO is, technically, the youngest of the top 5 space organisations. It faced serious setbacks due to restrictions but, nevertheless, succeeded in catapulting India among the top 5 space powers of the world. And the reason to rejoice is that this entire success is attributable to our sheer hard work and no other country had been involved in this success. We developed everything at our own from scratch and the result is astounding. That’s the beauty of our technology. The journey of satellite launch with ISRO which started with the launch of a small 35 Kg Rohini I satellite through Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV) in 1980 which is now grown to a capacity of 4 Tonnes with GSLV MK III in just 30 years. The variety of satellites also progressed with time. Rohini-I had just simple remote sensing capability while modern day Cartosat-2 which can provide crystal clear images of less than 1-meter resolution. We are launching satellites in multiple orbits with the use of a single launch vehicle. Today Indian scientists are experts in the technology of multiple burns which is switching on and switching off the Rocket’s engine multiple times to control its height. Everything was controlled remotely with the precision of a nuclear clock. ISRO’s Workhorse PSLV has proved its mettle once again. PSLV has the lowest failure rate and out of its 42 launches, only two have failed. This is the reason why the countries who used to send Indian satellites in the space a few decades back are now relying on ISRO to send their satellites in the space due to the accuracy and low error probability of Indian technology. It has the rare distinction to launch Chandrayan I and Mangalyaan too. Earlier Launch vehicles did not have such brilliant success ratio. We have grown from 50% of SLV and ASLV to 95% of PSLV and now the future of ISRO is visible in GSLV Mk III with 100% success rate till now. Today India boasts its own Global Positioning System (NAViC) run through IRNSS Satellites which is unique in the world and can deliver good results even if one of the desired satellite is out of communication. The future of the Indian Technology is seen clearly. It is helping the country in various applications. We are able to excel in defence, communications, remote sensing, agriculture, disaster management, education, surveys, broadcast and many other fields of life. We are creating examples for other countries as to how they can better use their talent. We are truly moving ahead to be a “Vishwaguru” once again. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

Opinion: With 100th satellite in orbit, ISRO is making India “Vishwaguru” again

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Opinion: ISRO satellites give India panopticon surveillance over targets

Opinion: With 100th satellite in orbit, ISRO is making India “Vishwaguru” again