Tag Archives: isro

Boosting Space Startups: India’s Bold Rs 1,000 Cr Fund Redefines Skies For Private Players

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India’s space sector is set to receive a significant boost with the government earmarking Rs 1,000 crore for a venture fund dedicated to space startups. This decision, announced by Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh, is a clear indication of the high priority the government gives to the space sector.

The announcement was made within the first 100 days of the Modi 3.0 government, reflecting the administration’s commitment to fostering innovation and entrepreneurship in this strategic sector.

The venture fund is part of a broader strategy to open up the space sector to private players. About four years ago, the government took a revolutionary step to allow private participation in the space sector. This led to the establishment of New India Space Limited (NISL), a new PSU, and IN-SPACe India, an interface with the private sector.

The results of these initiatives have been remarkable, with a quantum jump from just a single-digit startup to more than 200 space sector startups within a short span of time.

The government’s support for space startups is not limited to financial assistance. It has also allowed 100% Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the space sector, a move that has proved to be a significant boost for new initiatives and entrepreneurs. This policy has contributed to the growth of startups in India, which has increased from 350 in 2014 to more than 1.5 lakh, raising the country to number three in the world ecosystem.

Government’s Broader Strategy for Space Sector

The government’s focus on the space sector is part of its broader strategy to promote innovation, startups, and the ‘Make in India’ initiative. The Union Budget 2024-25 reflects this strategy, with significant support for the manufacturing sector, particularly through its focus on MSME clusters.

The introduction of easy financing and credit guarantee schemes, along with the facilitation of collateral-free term loans for the purchase of machinery and equipment, will greatly enhance the manufacturers and suppliers network.

The budget also abolished Angel Tax for investors, a move that could indirectly benefit space startups. The government has also introduced reforms that simplify regulatory frameworks and encourage private investment in space activities, such as satellite launches and space-based services.

These measures collectively aim to create an ecosystem that nurtures space startups, encourages innovation, and positions India as a major player in the global space industry.

The Rs 1,000 crore venture fund holds significant importance in the context of India’s overall space program and its goals. It encourages innovation and entrepreneurship in the space sector by providing a financial safety net for startups to develop cutting-edge technologies and applications. This is crucial for India’s aspirations to be a leader in space technology.

Significance of the Venture Fund

By supporting private space startups, India is diversifying its space industry beyond the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), fostering a competitive and dynamic ecosystem that can lead to more rapid advancements. The fund aligns with India’s push for ‘Atmanirbharta’ (self-reliance), reducing dependence on foreign technologies and promoting indigenous development of space capabilities.

Space startups are potential engines of economic growth, creating jobs in high-tech sectors and contributing to the overall GDP through innovation and commercialization of space services. By nurturing startups, India can compete in the global space market, offering services and technologies that can be exported, thus enhancing its international standing in the space community.

The fund signals the government’s commitment to supporting the startup culture, especially in niche sectors like space, which can inspire more young minds to pursue space-related careers and entrepreneurship. It enables the development of technologies that can support ambitious projects like Gaganyaan (India’s human spaceflight program) and other scientific missions, as well as commercial ventures like satellite launches and space-based services.

President of India Inaugurates Integrated Cryogenic Engine Manufacturing Facility of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited; Also Lays The Foundation Stone for The Zonal Institute of Virology

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The President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu, inaugurated the Integrated Cryogenic Engine Manufacturing Facility of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in Bengaluru today (September 27, 2022). She also laid the foundation stone for the Zonal Institute of Virology (South Zone) virtually on the occasion.

Addressing the gathering, the President said that inauguration of the Integrated Cryogenic Engine Manufacturing Facility is indeed a historic moment not only for HAL and ISRO, but also for the whole country to have a state-of-the-art facility to manufacture Cryogenic and Semi-cryogenic Engines. She said that HAL has contributed immensely to India’s self reliance in defence. It can be said that HAL has been the force behind the forces. HAL has time and again demonstrated its capabilities in research, development and manufacturing of various Aircraft Platforms.

The President said that ISRO has been the pride of the nation. When this institution started operations in the 1960s, India was still a young Republic, facing challenges of severe poverty and illiteracy. But there was immense potential. The rapid pace, with which ISRO has grown, caught the attention of even the most advanced and technologically developed countries. Sincere efforts and dedication of ISRO have made India emerge as the sixth country in the world to have Cryogenic Engine Manufacturing Capabilities.

The President said that HAL and ISRO together contribute to strategic defence and development. Both the organizations have played a major role in the development of various equipment and programmes which have reinforced the security and development of our country. HAL with its high end facility of manufacturing defence related equipment has proved to be an invaluable asset for our country.

The President said that the glorious past of HAL and ISRO gives us an assurance that these organisations will continue to play a significant and positive role in the future as India enters the Amrit Kaal. By 2047, when we will celebrate the 100 years of Independence, the world around us will have changed drastically. Just as we were in no position 25 years ago to imagine the contemporary world, we cannot visualise today how Artificial Intelligence and automation are going to transform life. We have completed 75 years as an independent country. We are looking ahead at the next 25 years as the period to re-imagine India and make it a developed country. It is our joint responsibility to ensure that the India of 2047 will be a much more prosperous and strong nation.

Speaking about the Covid pandemic, the President said that the resilience and extraordinary effort of our doctors and scientists helped us deal with the crisis. She noted that the Indian Council of Medical Research has provided exemplary support for effective COVID management and is expanding its research infrastructure. National Institute of Virology, Pune under Indian Council of Medical Research, is also taking all possible steps to increase R&D in the field of virology. She was happy to note that the National Institute of Virology has been designated as one of the collaborating laboratories of the World Health Organization. She said that the expansion of National Institute of Virology through Zonal Campuses across the country catering to the demands in the different geographical regions is praiseworthy.

Central University of Jammu signs MoU with ISRO

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The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) signed an MoU with the Central University of Jammu (CUJ) in Jammu today for setting up of the Satish Dhawan Center for Space Science in the University with Union Minister of State for PMO, Dr Jitendra Singh and Secretary, Department of Space and ISRO Chairman, Dr. K. Sivan present on the occasion.

Another MoU was signed between CUJ and the Central Scientific Instruments Organization (CSIR-CSIO). To create awareness about space research and to motivate young minds to take up research related to space, astronomy, geology, atmospheric sciences and related fields, a two day workshop was also inaugurated at the CUJ campus.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Jitendra Singh that the collaboration between ISRO and CUJ for establishing an ISRO Center at Jammu is a landmark achievement for the State. He urged the youth and the faculty of the Institute to develop scientific temper and generate interest in space research. He said that space technology has become an important part of our day-to-day lives from communication and weather forecasting to better rail-traffic management, better border surveillance and even searching for nearest toilets through mobile app etc.

While taking about the establishment of the Satish Dhawan Center for Space Science at Central University of Jammu, Dr. K Sivan said that the Center will help in tapping potential of Space Applications for the region of J&K in various fields like disaster management, health, education, communication, weather forecasting, land use planning, etc. He said that this would provide opportunity to the youth of the region to contribute to the field of space science as well as to the nation. He further said ISRO is dedicated to the mission of utilizing space sciences for the benefit of mankind as envisaged by Dr. Vikram Sarabhai and Prof Satish Dhawan, the founding fathers of ISRO.

The area of space applications is of particular interest to J&K and the larger Himalayan region as its economy and habitations are affected by vegetation cover, forest area, snow, landslides, avalanches, ground water, cloud cover, atmospheric conditions etc. which can be easily monitored from space through remote sensing. Considering the recurring natural calamities in the region, requirement of strengthening ground-based observational capabilities of this region for weather and atmospheric research is also of utmost important. The setting up of this Center will take care of the emerging Geospatial and Space Technology requirements for the development of the region.

The Satish Dhawan Centre for Space Science at CUJ will have facilities for Geospatial Data analysis that will help in sustainable use of natural resources and planning land-use pattern. It will have ground-based observations for Atmospheric Studies, research lab for astrophysics, Atmospheric Sensing and Glacier studies Lab for better use of large quantity of water stored in the form of seasonal snow, ice and glaciers in the rivers of North India. Apart from this, Disaster Management Center will also be set up here that would be able to take up research in the area of different disasters like flood, Landslides, forest fires, drought and climate change.

The establishment of Materials Sciences Lab for space applications as a part of the Satish Dhawan Center for Space Science at CUJ will be another outstanding feature of the Center where special focus will be to synthesize and design new sensors and materials for space applications.

This is the first of its kind institute coming up in Jammu and Kashmir and the building is proposed in an area of about 1,150 sq. m.

As part of outreach, Research and Development, awareness creation, training and skill development, ISRO has also started many other activities like setting up of Regional Academic Centers (RAC), Space Technology Incubation Centers (S-TIC), setting up of ISRO Chairs and Space Technology Cells in various parts of the country.

Space Sciences is a multidisciplinary subject which involves basic sciences such as physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, geology, planetary science, mathematics, atmospheric sciences, geography, space engineering and even space law.

ISRO Successfully Launches IRNSS-1I Navigation Satellite, What’s Next?

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In its 43rd flight, ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C41) successfully launched the 1,425 kg IRNSS-1I Navigation Satellite on Thursday from Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.

PSLV-C41 lifted off at 0404 hrs (4:04 am) IST from the First Launch Pad. After a flight lasting about 19 minutes, the vehicle achieved a Sub-Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit with a perigee (nearest point to earth) of 281.5 km and an apogee (farthest point to earth) of 20,730 km inclined at an angle of 19.2 degree to the equator. At this point, IRNSS-1I separated from PSLV.

After separation, the solar panels of IRNSS-1I were deployed automatically. ISRO’s Master Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan, Karnataka took over the control of the satellite. In the coming days, orbit manoeuvres will be performed from MCF to position the satellite at 55 degree East longitude in the planned Geosynchronous Orbit with an inclination of 29 degree to the equator.

IRNSS-1I is the latest member of the ‘Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC)’ system. NavIC, also known as Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), is an independent regional navigation satellite system designed to provide position information in the Indian region and 1,500 km around the Indian mainland.

A number of ground facilities responsible for IRNSS satellite ranging and monitoring, generation and transmission of navigation parameters, satellite control, network timing, among others have been established in many locations across the country as part of NavIC.

Till now, PSLV has successfully launched 52 Indian satellites and 237 customer satellites from foreign customers.

ISRO all set to launch IRNSS-1I navigation satellite on April 12, What’s in it?

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Nine months after the failure its last navigation satellite IRNSS-1H in August 2017, India’s space agency ISRO is all set to launch another navigation satellite to complete the indigenous GPS system,  as a part of the series of IRNSS navigation satellites from its spaceport in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh on April 12.

IRNSS is similar to US’ Global Positioning System (GPS), Russia’s Glonass and Europe’s Galileo. China and Japan also have similar systems, ‘Beidou’ and ‘Quasi Zenith’.

The new PSLV-C41/IRNSS-1I Mission will lift off on Thursday morning, April 12, 2018 at 04:04 Hrs (IST). The last one in the series, IRNSS-1H launched last year on August 31 aboard the PSLV-C39, was unsuccessful. IRNSS-1I will  replace IRNSS-1A, the first of the 7 navigation satellites in the series, which was rendered ineffective after its three rubidium atomic clocks failed.

“The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) will launch IRNSS-1I satellite from the first launch pad in Sriharikota on April 12 at 4.04 a.m.,” the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said in a statement.

India’s PSLC in its 43rd flight (PSLV-C41) in XL configuration will launch IRNSS-1I Satellite from First Launch Pad (FLP) of SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota. The ‘XL’ configuration of PSLV is used for the 20th time and the IRNSS-1I is the 8th satellite to join the NavIC navigation satellite constellation.

IRNSS-1I is the eighth navigation satellite to join the IRNSS space segment consisting of previous satellites — IRNSS-1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F and 1G — launched by PSLV-C22, PSLV-C24, PSLV-C26, PSLV-C27, PSLV-C31, PSLV-C32 and PSLV-C33 in July 2013, April 2014, October 2014, March 2015, January 2016, March 2016 and April 2016 respectively.

Barring IRNSS-iH which was a failure, like all other IRNSS satellites, IRNSS-1I also has a lift-off mass of 1425 kg and its configuration is similar to IRNSS-1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F and 1G.

IRNSS-1I will carry two types of payloads – navigation payload and ranging payload. The navigation payload of IRNSS-1I transmits signals for the determination of position, velocity and time. It will operate in L5-band and S-band, besides rubidium atomic clocks.

The ranging payload of IRNSS-1I consists of a C-band transponder, which facilitates accurate determination of the range of the satellite and it carries Corner Cube Retro Reflectors for LASER Ranging.

IRNSS navigation satellites

The Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) is an indegenous GPS system to meet the user requirements of the positioning, navigation and timing services over India and its neighbourhood, to provide fairly good accuracy to the user. The IRNSS will provide Standard Positioning Service (SPS) and Restricted Service (RS).

The navigation satellite series consist of seven satellites, three in GEO stationary orbit (GEO) and four in Geo Synchronous Orbit (GSO) with inclination of 29° to the equatorial plane. This constellation of seven satellites was named “NavIC” (Navigation with Indian Constellation) and dedicated to the nation on the occasion of successful launch of IRNSS-1G, the seventh and last satellite of NavIC.

 

All the satellites will be visible at all times in the Indian region. All the seven Satellites of NavIC are functioning from their designated orbital positions, said ISRO. IRNSS-1H launched in August 2017 was the only unsuccessful mission in the series.

The Ground segment comprises of TTC & Uplinking Stations, Spacecraft Control Centre, IRNSS Timing Centre, CDMA Ranging Stations, Navigation Control Centre and Data Communication Links.

Applications or uses of NavIC:

 

Applications of IRNSS navigation (NavIC) satellites include several uses for fishermen going to sea, weather forecast, warning on crossing international waters inadvertantly. Merchant ships will benefit while navigating to their destination in the ocean routes, in disastrous situations using its current location.

In road transport, NavIC, with its position service, helps the travellers to go from one location to the other and enables transport operators to track their vehicles and goods.

For Indian Railways, NavIC helps in alerting the road users at Unmanned Level Crossings to avoid accidents by closely monitoring the approaching trains. Geo-tagging and Geo-fencing techniques of NavIC help in developing virtual maps.

By Linking position information from NavIC with Geo-Informatics Systems where several layers of information are linked on maps and satellite imagery, a host of location based services are offered to the general public. Using such features, one could easily locate a restaurant, shop, college, bus-stop, office, hospital, fuel pump, picnic spot, etc.

Survey of land utilization, port operations, precision agriculture, road and rail alignments, etc. are possible with NavIC. When integrated with mobile phones, can bring a major transformation in the delivery of customized applications to the consumer segment.

What went wrong with GSAT-6A? ISRO trying to figure out

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ISRO, the Indian space agency has lost contact with its GSAT-6A satellite, two days after its perfect launch. ISRO Chairman K. Sivan on Sunday said the agency is working overnight to restore the link and put the satellite in its intended orbit soon.

The 2,000kg satellite, costing the agency over Rs 240 crore was to be placed in its intended orbit 36,000 km above ground level after three orbit-raising manoeuvres from the Master Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan near Bangalore.

The GSAT-6A was to provide platform for satellite based mobile communication applications with a lifespan of about 10 years. It was to complement 2015 satellite the GSAT-6.

“The first two manoeuvres had worked as they were intended to but as the third manoeuvre was going to be fired, the satellite stopped responding. We are going through the data meticulously to establish a link with the satellite,” said Sivan, who took charge as the space agency’s chief in January.

After its successful launch on March 29 at 16:56 Hrs (IST), the first orbit raising operation of GSAT-6A Satellite was successfully carried out by LAM Engine firing for 2188 sec from 09:22hr IST on March 30, 2018, reported ISRO earlier.

The successful Orbit Determination results from this LAM firing changed the GSAT-6A’s apogee X perigee height to 36412 km X 5054 km, with an inclination at 11.93 degrees. Its orbital period was reported to be 12 hours and 45 minutes.

It was not unusual for a spacecraft to go into safe mode and remian incommunicado due to weather disturbances but it should have returned to normal mode once the ground control revives it, which did not happen despite two days already lost in the process. If not insured, it is likely to deal another dent in ISRO’s budget planning.

GSLV-F08 is the 12th flight of Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) and Sixth flight with indigenous Cryogenic Stage. The Launch of GSLV-F08 carrying GSAT-6A took place from the Second Launch Pad (SLP) in Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.

 

 

In August last year, India’s backup navigation satellite IRNSS-1H on board PSLV-C39 ended in a failure after a perfect launch but due to non-separation of its heat shield during the final leg of the launch sequence.

India’s Space Mission to Moon ‘Chandrayaan- II’ to be Launched in 2018

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India’s Space Mission to Moon, “Chandrayaan-II”, will take place in 2018, most likely in the first quarter of the year, said the Union Minister of State Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh.

Addressing the inaugural session of the 5-day Asian Conference on Remote Sensing here today, Dr Jitendra Singh said that India has today emerged as the world’s frontline nation in the field of technology. This, he said, is in itself a glorious vindication of the dream seen by the founding fathers of India’s Space Programme, like Vikram Sarabhai and Satish Dhawan.

It was during the last three years that India could launch a South Asian Satellite which would be also providing inputs and benefits to the neighbouring countries. In addition, he said, the biggest achievement in the last over three years is that the Prime Minister personally intervened to arrange a brainstorming of Space Scientists with each of the different Ministries and Departments in Government of India to promote the application of Space Technology in infrastructure and development works.

In this context, he referred to widespread application of Space Technology in carrying out the Urban Development programmes, including Smart City programmes, the use of Space Technology for geo-tagging of MGNREGA and the assistance from ISRO for the manning of Railway crossings.

Chairman of ISRO Kiran Kumar, who was present, spoke about the various achievements of India’s Space capability in the field of Disaster Management. Veteran Space Scientist and President of the Indian Association of Remote Sensing, Dr Shailesh Nayak also spoke on the occasion.

At the event, awards were presented to outstanding Space scientists under different categories. The 5-day conference is being attended by over 500 eminent foreign delegates and some of the world’s most distinguished faculty in the field of Space Science.

PSLV-C38 Successfully Launched With 31 Satellites

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Within months after successfully launching more than 100 satellites at one go, ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C38 successfully launched the 712 kg Cartosat-2 Series Satellite along with 30 co-passenger satellites on Friday, June 23, 2017 in its 39th consecutively successful mission of PSLV.

PSLV-C38 lifted off at 9:29 am IST from the First Launch Pad from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. After a flight of about 16 minutes, the satellites achieved a polar Sun Synchronous Orbit of 505 km inclined at an angle of 97.44 degree to the equator in the next 8 minutes, all the 31 satellites successfully separated from the PSLV in a predetermined sequence beginning with Cartosat-2 series satellite, followed by NIUSAT and 29 customer satellites. With today’s launch, the total number of Indian satellites launched by PSLV are 48.

After separation, the two solar arrays of Cartosat-2 series satellite were deployed and ISRO’s Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) at ground at Hassan, near Bangalore took over the control of the satellite. In few days, the satellite will be brought to its final operational configuration and orbit. Soon, the satellite will provide remote sensing services using its panchromatic (black and white) and multispectral (colour) cameras, said ISRO in a statement.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has congratulated ISRO on its 40th successful PSLV launch. He said, “Congratulations to ISRO on its 40th successful Polar satellite launch carrying 31 satellites from 15 countries. You make us proud.”

One of the 30 co-passenger satellites carried by PSLV-C38 include the 15 kg NIUSAT, a University/Academic Institute satellite from Nurul Islam University, Tamil Nadu, India, while the other 29 were international customer satellites from USA (10), United Kingdom (3), Belgium (3), Italy (3), Austria (1), Chile (1), Czech Republic (1), Finland (1), France (1), Germany (1), Japan (1), Latvia (1), Lithuania (1) and Slovakia (1).

ISRO’s PSLV launch has so far lofted off 209 foreign customer satellites, said ISRO.

ISRO Launches GSLV Mk III Successfully with GSAT-19 Satellite

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The first developmental flight (GSLV MkIII-D1) of India’s heavy lift launch vehicle GSLV Mk-III was successfully conducted today (June 05, 2017) evening from Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota with the launch of GSAT-19 satellite.
This was the first orbital mission of GSLV MkIII which was mainly intended to evaluate the vehicle performance including that of its fully indigenous cryogenic upper stage during the flight. Weighing 3136 kg at lift-off, GSAT-19 is the heaviest satellite launched from the Indian soil.

After a twenty five and a half hour smooth countdown, the mission began with the launch of the 640 ton GSLV Mk-III at 5:28 pm IST from the Second Launch Pad as scheduled with the ignition of its two S200 solid strap-on boosters. Following this, the major phases of the flight occurred as scheduled. The upper stage of GSLV MkIII vehicle is a new cryogenic stage (C25) indigenously configured, designed and realised by ISRO.

The cryogenic stage used liquid Hydrogen and liquid Oxygen as propellants with a total loading of 28 tons. The stage is powered by a 20 ton thrust cryogenic engine (CE20) operating on “gas generator cycle”. The performance of the engine and stage during the mission was as predicted. About sixteen minutes after lift-off, GSAT-19 satellite was successfully placed in orbit.

Soon after its separation from GSLV, the Master Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan in Karnataka assumed control of the satellite. GSAT-19 is a high throughput communication satellite.

In the coming days, GSAT-19 orbit will be raised from its present Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) to the final circular Geostationary Orbit (GSO) by firing the satellite’s Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) in stages. During the final phase of this operation, the solar panels and antenna reflectors of the satellite will be deployed. The satellite will be commissioned into service after its positioning in the designated slot in the GSO following in-orbit testing of its payloads.

ISRO Earned $4.5 Million, 76.5 Million Euros in Last 2 Years

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Indian Space Research Organisation’s commercial arm Antrix Corporation Limited (Antrix) has earned a foreign exchange of 76.5 Million Euros and $4.5 Million from foreign countries through launching of their satellites on-board PSLV.

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Space Jitendra Singh in written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, March 15, 2017, informed the House that the spare capacity available onboard PSLV, after meeting the national requirements, is provided for commercial launch services.

He said ISRO will continue to make available the spare capacity available on its launch vehicles for commercial launch services through Anrix.

Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on February 15, 2017, successfully launched 104 satellites, in a single launch, onboard India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle “PSLV-C37’ on February 15, 2017 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota.

These satellites include- (i) India’s Cartosat-2 Series Satellite (weighting 714kg) as primary payload, (ii) two Indian Nano-Satellites viz. INS-IA&IB(together weighing 18.1 kg) and (iii) 101 foreign nano-satellites together weighing 645.9 kg) from six counties as co-passengers.

This was the 38th successful PSLV mission in a row, which has once again demonstrated the versatility and reliability of the PSLV vehicle. While PSLV has already established itself as a preferred launch vehicle, in its class, in the global satellite market.

“This mission is expected to further strengthen the commercial footprint of PSLV in the global market for launch services, especially for smaller satellites,” said the minister.

ISRO Launches PSLV-C36 Remote Sensing Satellite

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In its 38th flight (PSLV-C36), ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle successfully launched the 1,235 kg RESOURCESAT-2A Satellite on Wednesday morning (December 07, 2016) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota.

After PSLV-C36 lift-off at 10:25 am IST from the First Launch Pad with the ignition of the first stage, the subsequent important flight events, namely, strap-on ignitions and separations, first stage separation, second stage ignition, payload fairing separation, second stage separation, third stage ignition and separation, fourth stage ignition and cut-off, took place as planned.

After a flight of 17 minutes 05 seconds, the vehicle achieved a polar Sun Synchronous Orbit of 824 km height inclined at an angle of 98.725 degree to the equator (very close to the intended orbit) and 47 seconds later, RESOURCESAT-2A was separated from the PSLV fourth stage.

After separation, the two solar arrays of RESOURCESAT-2A deployed automatically and ISRO’s Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) at Bangalore took over the control of the satellite. In the coming days, the satellite will be brought to its final operational configuration following which it will begin to provide imagery from its three cameras. The data sent by RESOURCESAT-2A will be useful for agricultural applications like crop area and crop production estimation, drought monitoring, soil mapping, cropping system analysis and farm advisories generation.

Like its predecessors RESOURCESAT-1 and 2, RESOURCESAT-2A has a unique 3-Tier imaging system with Advanced Wide Field Sensor (AWiFS), Linear Imaging Self Scanner-3 (LISS-3) and Linear Imaging Self Scanner-4 (LISS-4) cameras. The AWiFS provides images with a sampling of 56 metres, a swath of 740 km and a revisit of 5 days whereas the LISS-3 provides 23.5 metre sampled images with 141 km swath and a repitivity of 24 days. LISS-4 provides 5.8 metre sampled images with 70 km swath and a revisit of 5 days.

"With today’s launch, the PSLV has yet again demonstrated its reliability," said ISRO in a statement. The total number of satellites launched by India’s workhorse launch vehicle PSLV including today’s RESOURCESAT-2A has now reached 122, of which 43 are Indian and the remaining 79 are from abroad.