RISAT – 2B Satellite Launch | Burning Issues | PDF Download

WHAT JUST HAPPENED?

• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) used its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle to launch the 615-kg RISAT-2B satellite, capable of clear viewing during the day, night and even under adverse weather conditions (from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.)

RISAT CONSTELLATION

RISAT CONSTELLATION

• RISAT-2B, short for “Radar Imaging Satellite-2B”, is the second in a series of satellites used to observe weather conditions on Earth using radar imagery.
• The RISAT constellation is operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). While ISRO state the satellites’ applications as supporting agriculture, forestry and disaster management, their primary purpose is military surveillance.

RISAT CONSTELLATION

• RISAT uses a technique called Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) to build images of the Earth below it.
• Signals transmitted from the satellite are reflected from the surface and its echo is recorded when it reaches back to the satellite. These signals can then be processed to build a profile of the ground below.

OTHER COUNTRIES

• India is not the only country to use radar imaging for military reconnaissance – other systems currently in operation include the United States’ TOPAZ constellation, Japan’s IGS Radar and Italy’s COSMO-SkyMed.
• SAR has also been used on civilian scientific and commercial satellites and on interplanetary probes.
• RISAT 2b will be a replacement for RISAT-2. The original RISAT-2 was built for ISRO Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI)
• RISAT-2B is to be followed by RISAT-2BR1, 2BR2, RISAT-1A, 1B, 2A and so on.

UTILITY OF THIS CONSTELLATION

• In India we also use radar imaging for crop estimation because our main crop growing season of kharif is in May-September when it rains and gets cloudy.
• We have used this data extensively for forestry, soil, land use, geology and during floods and cyclone.
• Radar imaging satellites pick up structures, new bunkers very well, and sometimes help to count them, too.

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