2. Content
•About Indian Space Program
•Indian Earth Observation (EO) Satellite Series
•Space Science & Exploration Satellites
•Communication Satellites
•Experimental Satellites
•Navigation Satellite
•References
3. About Indian Space Program
• Dr. Vikram Sarabhai is the father of the Indian space program
• Government of India established the Department of Space in 1972 to promote development and
application of space science and technology for socio-economic benefits.
• Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is the primary agency under the Department of Space
for executing space programmes.
• The vision of ISRO is to harness space technology for national development, while pursuing space
science research and planetary exploration.
• ISRO's motto : “Space technology in the Service of humankind”
4. Indian Earth Observation (EO) Satellite Series
•Starting with IRS-1A in 1988, ISRO has launched many operational remote sensing satellites. Today, India
has thirteen operational satellites in Sun-synchronous orbit to provide necessary data for applications
covering agriculture, water resources, urban planning, rural development, mineral prospecting,
environment, forestry, ocean resources and disaster management.
•Satellite systems launched for EO are,
RESOURCESAT - for Land and Water Resources studies
RISAT (Radar Imaging Satellite) -All Weather imaging - for Agriculture, Disaster reduction,
CARTOSAT - for Mapping applications
OCEANSAT - Ocean (including coastal), and atmospheric .
5. RESOURCESAT
• Three satellites launched : RESOURCESAT-1, RESOURCESAT-2 and RESOURCESAT-2A
•RESOURCESAT-1 (IRS P6)
•Launched in to the polar sun-synchronous orbit (altitude of 817 km)
•It carries three sensors: LISS-IV , LISS-III, AWiFS
•RESOURCESAT-2
• Provides data for land and water resources studies at macro, regional and micro levels
• Has enhanced multi-spectral and spatial coverage as compared with RESOURSESAT-1
•carries an additional payload known as AIS (Automatic Identification System) from COMDEV, Canada
•RESOURCESAT-2A
•RESOURCESAT-2A carries three payloads which are similar to those of RESOURCESAT-1 and
RESOURCESAT-2.
• LISS-4 camera operating in three spectral bands in the VNIR with 5.8 m spatial resolution and
steerable up to ± 26 deg across track to achieve a five day revisit capability.
7. •Radar Imaging Satellite or RISAT is a series of Indian radar imaging reconnaissance satellites built by ISRO.
•RISAT-2
•RISAT-2 is first of the series to reach orbit. It was bought from Israel largely for surveillance purposes.
This Satellite enhanced ISRO’s capability for Disaster Management applications.
•Launched in the Sun Synchronous Polar Orbit.
•RISAT-1
•This was India’s first indigenous all-weather radar imaging satellite.
•The satellite provides all-weather surveillance using synthetic aperture radars (SAR).
•Active Microwave Remote Sensing provides cloud penetration and day-night imaging capability. These
unique characteristics of C-band (5.35GHz) Synthetic Aperture Radar enable applications in agriculture,
particularly paddy monitoring in kharif season and management of natural disasters like flood and
cyclone.
• RISAT-2B and RISAT-2BR1 satellites are provided with inclined orbits for equatorial belt coverage, high
revisit rate and higher resolution which is suitable for Disaster Management System and Earth Observation.
RISAT
8. •CARTOSAT–1 is the first Indian Remote Sensing Satellite capable of providing in-orbit stereo images. The
images were used for Cartographic applications meeting the global requirements.
•Cameras of this satellite have a resolution of 2.5m.
•The Cartosat–1 provided stereo pairs required for generating Digital Elevation Models, Ortho Image products,
and Value added products for various applications of GIS.
•CARTOSAT-2 is an advanced remote sensing satellite; weighting around 680 kg which is much less than
CARTOSAT–1
•CARTOSAT – 2A is remote sensing satellite that can provide scene specific spot imagery. This satellite
carried a Panchromatic Camera (PAN). The spatial resolution of this camera is better than 1m and swath of 9.6
km.
CARTOSAT
9. •CARTOSAT-2B carries a Panchromatic camera . It is capable of imaging a swath of 9.6 km with a resolution of
better than 1 metre. The highly agile CARTOSAT-2B is steerable up to ± 26o along as well as across track to
obtain stereoscopic imagery and achieve a four to five day revisit capability.
•CARTOSAT-3 satellite is a third generation agile advanced satellite having high resolution imaging capability.
Cartosat-3 will address the increased user’s demands for large scale urban planning, rural resource and
infrastructure development, coastal land use and land cover etc.
Left: CARTOSAT-1 during integration at ISRO - Image by the Satellite
10. Oceansat-2
• Oceansat-2 is an Indian satellite designed to provide service continuity for operational users of the Ocean Colour
Monitor (OCM) instrument on Oceansat-1.
• It is launched in Sun synchronous Polar orbit.
• It carries three payloads:
– Ocean Colour Monitor (OCM): is an 8-band multi-spectral camera operating in the Visible – Near-infrared
spectroscopy spectral range. This camera provides an instantaneous geometric field of view of 360 metres
and a swath of 1420 km. OCM-2 can be tilted up to +20° along track.
– Ku-band Pencil Beam scatterometer (SCAT) developed by ISRO : It will be used to determine ocean
surface level wind vectors through estimation of radar backscatter. The Ku-band pencil beam scatterometer
is an active microwave radar operating at 13.515 GHz providing a ground resolution cell of size 50 x 50 km.
– Radio Occultation Sounder for Atmosphere (ROSA) developed by the Italian Space Agency. is a
new GPS occultation receiver provided by Italian Space Agency (ASI). The objective is to characterize the
lower atmosphere and the ionosphere, opening the possibilities for the development of several scientific
activities exploiting these new radio occultation data sets.
11. Distribution of chlorophyll-a concentration
retrieved from OCM-2 data on Sept. 24, 2009 in
the north-eastern Arabian Sea
OceanSat-2
12. Megha-Tropiques
• Megha-Tropiques is an Indo-French Joint Satellite Mission for studying the water cycle and energy exchanges in
the tropics. The main objective of this mission is to understand the life cycle of convective systems that influence
the tropical weather and climate and their role in associated energy and moisture budget of the atmosphere in
tropical regions.
• Megha-Tropiques provides scientific data on the contribution of the water cycle to the tropical atmosphere, with
information on condensed water in clouds, water vapour in the atmosphere, precipitation, and evaporation. With
its circular orbit inclined 20 deg to the equator, the Megha-Tropiques is a unique satellite for climate research
that should also aid scientists seeking to refine prediction models.
• Megha-Tropiques carries the following four payloads:
– Microwave Analysis and Detection of Rain and Atmospheric Structures (MADRAS), an Imaging
Radiometer
– Sounder for Probing Vertical Profiles of Humidity (SAPHIR)
– Scanner for Radiation Budget (ScaRa)
– Radio Occultation Sensor for Vertical Profiling of Temperature and Humidity (ROSA)
13. SCATSAT-1
• SCATSAT-1 is a continuity mission for Oceansat-2 Scatterometer to provide wind vector data
products for weather forecasting, cyclone detection and tracking services to the users. The satellite
carries Ku-band Scatterometer similar to the one flown onboard Oceansat-2.
HysIS
• HySIS is an Earth observation satellite which will provide hyperspectral imaging services to India for
a range of applications in agriculture, forestry and in the assessment of geography such as coastal
zones and inland waterways The data will also be accessible to India's defence forces
• The primary goal of HysIS is to study the earth’s surface in the visible, near infrared and shortwave
infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum.
14. Space Science & Exploration Satellites
• Indian space program encompasses research in areas like astronomy, astrophysics, planetary and earth
sciences, atmospheric sciences and theoretical physics. Balloons, sounding rockets, space platforms and
ground-based facilities support these research efforts. A series of sounding rockets are available for
atmospheric experiments. Several scientific instruments have been flown on satellites especially to direct
celestial X-ray and gamma-ray bursts.
• Space science and exploration satellites include the following missions:
– SRE-1
– Mars Orbiter Mission Spacecraft
– Chandrayaan-1
– Chandrayaan2
– Astrosat
15. SRE-1
• Space Capsule Recovery Experiment (SRE – 1) is a 550 kg capsule intended to demonstrate the
technology of an orbiting platform for performing experiments in micro gravity conditions. After
completion of the experiments, the capsule was de-orbited and recovered.
• SRE – 1 mission provided a valuable experience in fields like navigation, guidance and control during
the re-entry phase, hypersonic aero thermodynamic, development of reusable thermal protection
system (TPS), recovery through deceleration and flotation, besides acquisition of basic technology for
reusable launch vehicles.
• SRE – 1 carries two experiments, an Isothermal Heating Furnace (IHF) and a Bio-mimetic
experiment.
• Mars Orbiter Mission Spacecraft
• Mars Orbiter Mission is India's first interplanetary mission to planet Mars with an orbiter craft
designed to orbit Mars in an elliptical orbit.
• Operating since Nov 05, 2013
16. Mars Orbiter Mission Spacecraft
• Mars Orbiter Mission is India's first interplanetary mission to planet Mars with an orbiter craft
designed to orbit Mars in an elliptical orbit.
• Operating since Nov 05, 2013
• The Mission is primarily technological mission considering the critical mission operations and
stringent requirements on propulsion and other bus systems of spacecraft. It has been configured to
carry out observation of physical features of mars and carry out limited study of Martian atmosphere
with following five payloads:
• Mars Colour Camera (MCC)
• Thermal Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (TIS)
• Methane Sensor for Mars (MSM)
• Mars Exospheric Neutral Composition Analyser (MENCA)
• Lyman Alpha Photometer (LAP)
17. Chandrayaan-1
• Chandrayaan-1, India's first mission to Moon, was launched successfully on October 22, 2008. The spacecraft was
orbiting around the Moon at a height of 100 km from the lunar surface for chemical, mineralogical and photo-
geologic mapping of the Moon. The spacecraft carried 11 scientific instruments built in India, USA, UK,
Germany, Sweden and Bulgaria.
• After the successful completion of all the major mission objectives, the orbit has been raised to 200 km during
May 2009. The satellite made more than 3400 orbits around the moon and the mission was concluded when the
communication with the spacecraft was lost on August 29, 2009.
Chandrayaan-2
• Chandrayaan-2 mission is a highly complex mission, which represents a significant technological leap compared
to the previous missions of ISRO, which brought together an Orbiter, Lander (Vikram)and Rover (Pragyan) with
the goal of exploring south pole of the Moon. This is a unique mission which aims at studying not just one area of
the Moon but all the areas combining the exosphere, the surface as well as the sub-surface of the moon in a single
mission.
19. Astrosat
• ASTROSAT is India’s first dedicated multi wavelength space observatory. This scientific satellite
mission endeavours for a more detailed understanding of our universe.
• One of the unique features of ASTROSAT mission is that enables the simultaneous multi-wavelength
observations of various astronomical objects with a single satellite. ASTROSAT observes universe in
the optical, Ultraviolet, low and high energy X-ray regions of the electromagnetic spectrum.
• The scientific objectives of ASTROSAT mission are:
• To understand high energy processes in binary star systems containing neutron stars and black holes
• Estimate magnetic fields of neutron stars
• Study star birth regions and high energy processes in star systems lying beyond our galaxy
• Detect new briefly bright X-ray sources in the sky
• Perform a limited deep field survey of the Universe in the Ultraviolet region
20. Communication Satellites
• The Indian National Satellite (INSAT) system is one of the largest domestic communication satellite systems in
Asia-Pacific region with nine operational communication satellites placed in Geo-stationary orbit
• The INSAT system with more than 200 transponders in the C, Extended C and Ku-bands provides services to
telecommunications, television broadcasting, satellite newsgathering, societal applications, weather forecasting,
disaster warning and Search and Rescue operations.
• GSAT-17 joins the constellation of INSAT System consisting 15 operational satellites, namely - INSAT-3A, 3C, 4A,
4B, 4CR and GSAT-6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, 15, 16 and 18.
• INSAT-3C , INSAT-3A , INSAT-3D and INSAT-3DA are multipurpose satellites for providing telecommunications,
television broadcasting, meteorological and search and rescue services.
• INSAT-3D is an advanced weather satellite of India configured with improved Imaging System and Atmospheric
Sounder. INSAT-3D is designed for enhanced meteorological observations, monitoring of land and ocean surfaces,
generating vertical profile of the atmosphere in terms of temperature and humidity for weather forecasting and
disaster warning.
21. EDUSAT
• GSAT-3, known as EDUSAT is meant for distant class room education from school level to higher
education. This was the first dedicated "Educational Satellite" that provide the country with satellite
based two way communication to class room for delivering educational materials.
• This is a Geo-synchronous satellite.
• Payload:
– Six upper extended C - band transponders
– Five lower Ku band transponders with regional beam coverage
– One lower Ku band National beam transponder with Indian main land coverage
– Ku beacon
– 12 C band high power transponders with extended coverage, covering southeast and northwest
region apart from Indian main land.
22. Experimental Satellites
• ISRO has launched many small satellites mainly for the experimental purposes.
• This experiments include Remote Sensing, Atmospheric Studies, Payload Development, Orbit
Controls, recovery technology etc.
• Experimental satellite system consisting,
– INS-1A, INS-1B and INS-1C for earth surface and climate monitoring.
– YOUTHSAT for Thermosphere-Ionosphere monitoring
– Crew module Atmospheric Re-entry Experiment (CARE) is used as a platform for testing
the re-entry technologies envisaged for Crew Module including validating the performance of
parachute based deceleration system.
23. Navigation Satellite
• To meet the Civil Aviation requirements, ISRO is working jointly with Airport Authority of India (AAI) in
establishing the GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) system.
• To meet the user requirements of the positioning, navigation and timing services based on the indigenous system,
ISRO is establishing a regional satellite navigation system called Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System
(IRNSS).
• GPS Aided GEO Augmented Navigation (GAGAN):
– This is a Satellite Based Augmentation System (SBAS) implemented jointly with Airport Authority of India
(AAI). The main objectives of GAGAN are to provide Satellite-based Navigation services with accuracy and
integrity required for civil aviation applications and to provide better Air Traffic Management over Indian
Airspace. The system will be interoperable with other international SBAS systems and provide seamless
navigation across regional boundaries. The GAGAN Signal-In-Space (SIS) is available through GSAT-8 and
GSAT-10.
24. • Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) : NavIC
– This is an independent Indian Satellite based positioning system for critical National applications. The main
objective is to provide Reliable Position, Navigation and Timing services over India and its neighborhood, to
provide fairly good accuracy to the user. The IRNSS will provide basically two types of services
– Standard Positioning Service (SPS)
– Restricted Service (RS)
• To date, ISRO has built a total of nine satellites in the IRNSS series; of which eight are currently in orbit.
• Three of these satellites are in geostationary orbit (GEO) while the remaining in geosynchronous orbits (GSO)
that maintain an inclination of 29° to the equatorial plane.
• All IRNSS satellites carried two types of payloads
– navigation payload : The navigation payload transmits navigation service signals to the users.
– ranging payload: The ranging payload consists of a C-band transponder which facilitates accurate
determination of the range of the satellite.
• A highly accurate Rubidium atomic clock is part of the navigation payload of the satellite.
