GISAT-1 will be India’s first agile Earth observation satellite, Set to Launch on March 5

According to Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Geo Imaging Satellite-1 (GISAT-1) will be India’s first agile Earth observation satellite operating from Geostationary orbit. It will Launch at 17:43 Hrs IST on March 5th by GSLV-F10.

In this flight, A 4 metre diameter Ogive shaped payload fairing (OPLF) is being flown for the first time in Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) to accommodate a larger spacecraft.

Moreover, Weighing about 2268 kg, GISAT-1 is the first state-of-the-art agile Earth observation satellite which will be placed in a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit by GSLV-F10. Subsequently, It will reach the final geostationary orbit using its onboard propulsion system.

Following the official data, It is the fourteenth flight of the GSLV. Operating from geostationary orbit, GISAT-1 will facilitate near real time observation of the Indian subcontinent, under cloud free condition, at frequent intervals.

Objectives

• To provide near real time imaging of large area region of interest at frequent intervals
• For quick monitoring of natural disasters, episodic events and any short term events
• To obtain spectral signatures for agriculture, forestry, mineralogy, disaster warning, cloud properties, snow & glaciers and oceanography.

The Satellite is configured around modified I-2k bus carrying multispectral and hyperspectral payloads in different bands with improved spatial and temporal resolution.

Here’s an opportunity to witness the launch of GISAT-1 by GSLV-F10 LIVE at 1743 Hrs IST on March 05, 2020 from our spaceport at Sriharikota

Register yourself at https://t.co/nN4ltzgGkg from 1000 Hrs onwards on February 28, 2020#GSLV #GSLVF10 #GISAT1 pic.twitter.com/tGqum4QLsf

— ISRO (@isro) February 26, 2020

Despite the same, GSLV-F10 will be used to place the satellite in a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) at around 36,000 km altitude. And this GTO is an elliptical orbit that is used to transfer satellites between two circular orbits of different radiuses but is in the same plane.

(Author: Trilok Singh is with CEO here).