India Launches all-weather Satellite RISAT-1

Introduction

India's first indigenous all-weather Radar Imaging Satellite (Risat-1) was launched successfully on board the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)-C19 from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh, on April 26, 2012. Its images will facilitate agriculture and disaster management.

In a textbook launch, the 1,858 kg spacecraft, the country's first microwave remote sensing satellite was injected into orbit from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, around 90 km from Chennai.

RISAT-1, a result of 10 years of effort by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), has the capability to take images of the earth during day and night as well as in cloudy conditions. The heaviest satellite ever lifted, RISAT-1 through its microwave image sensing technology would assist in crop prediction.

"I am extremely happy to announce that the PSLV C-19 mission is a grand success…It injected precisely India's first radar imaging satellite into the desired orbit," as per K Radhakrishnan, Chairman, ISRO.

The approved cost of Risat-1, including its development, is Rs 378 crore (US$ 72.00 million), while Rs 120 crore (US$ 22.84 million) has been spent to build the rocket (PSLV-C19), making it a Rs 498 crore (US$ 94.83 million) mission. The spacecraft, which would be parked at its final orbit of 536 km altitude, has a mission life of five years and would circle the earth 14 times a day.

Source

India Brand Equity Foundation, April 26, 2012