Earth observation satellite GISAT-1 slated for August 12 launch, says ISRO

According to ISRO, GISAT-1 is meant to provide near-real time imaging of large region of interest at frequent intervals, quick monitoring of natural disasters, episodic events and also obtain spectral signatures for agriculture, forestry, mineralogy, disaster warning, cloud properties, snow and glaciers and oceanography.

Chennai: The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has announced the date for its second rocket launch of the year 2021. Earth Observation satellite GISAT-1, also known as EOS-3, will be launched on Thursday, August 12 at 5:43 am, said the space agency. However, the tentative launch time is subject to change depending on the weather conditions. According to ISRO, GISAT-1 is meant to provide near-real-time imaging of large region of interest at frequent intervals, quick monitoring of natural disasters, episodic events and also obtain spectral signatures for agriculture, forestry, mineralogy, disaster warning, cloud properties, snow and glaciers and oceanography. The GSLV Mk2 rocket would be carrying GISAT-1, an agile earth observation satellite, that is meant to be placed in geostationary orbit about 36,000 km from the earth’s equator. The orbit is typically meant for communication satellites that have to cover a large swathe of land. A satellite in geostationary orbit would be in sync with the rotation cycle of the earth (24 hours) and it would appear to be stationary when seen from the earth. It is said that three aptly positioned geostationary satellites can cover pretty much all of Earth’s surface.