Chennai
The countdown for the launch on Thursday morning of a rocket carrying remote sensing satellite Risat- 1 has begun in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh, an ISRO official said, a step that will reinforce Indias global leadership i
n the field.
The indigenous Radar Imaging Satellite ( Risat- 1) with a life- span of five years would be used for disaster prediction and agriculture forestry, and the high resolution pictures and microwave imaging could also be used for defence purposes, an ISRO official told IANS not wanting to be named in the report.
Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle ( PSLV) is all set on the launch pad at Sriharikota, 80- km from here, to blast off at 5.47 am on April 26 ferrying the 1,858 kg Risat- 1, a wholly Indianbuilt spy/ surveillance satellite.
” The countdown for the Thursday launch started at 6.47 am on Monday. The filling up of the propellant ( 2.5 tonne) for the fourth stage/ engine is progressing smoothly. The same propellant but in small quantities ( 600 kg) will also be filled for the powering the rocket control systems,” an ISRO official preferring anonymity told IANS. Remote sensing satellites send back pictures and other data for use. India has the largest constellation of remote sensing satellites in the world providing imagery in a variety of spatial resolutions, from more than a metre ranging up to 500 metres, and is a major player in vending such data in the global market.
With 11 remote sensing/ earth observation satellites orbiting in the space, India is a world leader in the remote sensing data market.
