Note: I wrote this on my earlier blog hosted as http://parallelspirals.blogspot.com. I recovered the text from the WayBack Machine. This post appeared on February 4, 2011 as per the time stamp. I’m trying to collect here again all my old writings spread on various blogs.
For the first launch this year, the ISRO has already started preparations for the launch of three satellites on board the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). The launch is expected to take place in the morning between February 20 and February 25, 2011.
The main payload is the Resourcesat-2 satellite that will fly as a replacement for the ageing Resourcesat-1. Improvements have been made in the satellite in terms of avionics and improved swath coverage. After launch, the two satellites will operate simultaneously before the Resourcesat-1 satellite will be retired. Resourcesat-1 was launched in 2003 with a planned lifespan of 5 years. The images provided by these satellites are used for applications like vegetation dynamics, crop yield estimates, disaster management etc.
There are two piggybacking payloads. One is the Indo-Russian collaboration project, YOUTHSAT and a Singapore University satellite, XSat-1.
Youthsat is a project proposed by former Indian President, Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam in 2005. It aims to provide an opportunity to Indian and Russian students to work hands-on on scientific instrumentation and data analysis systems. The aim of the satellite is to study solar physics in terms of Solar-terrestrial interactions. The Russian students will study solar activity while the Indian students will work on its impact on the ionosphere. They hope to provide short term forecasts of the impact of energetic solar events on manned and unmanned spacecrafts.
The XSat-1 is Singapore’s first satellite being developed by Nanyang Technological University and various others in Singapore. The satellite is ~120 kg developed to image of the region near Singapore. After collecting the data the satellite will also downlink the data to Singapore.
We wish the ISRO best of luck for this upcoming launch!
Parallel Spirals 