The Indian government has put a lot of thrust into the space sector in the last few years.
India’s Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh recently said that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) have jointly manufactured an earth science satellite named, NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar).
Singh said that the mission objectives of the satellite are- Design, Develop and launch a Dual Frequency (L and S band) Radar Imaging Satellite and to Explore newer applications areas using S-Band microwave data, especially in surface deformation studies, terrestrial biomass structure, natural resource mapping and monitoring and studies related to dynamics of ice-sheets, glaciers, forests, oil slick among others.
The Minister said, the satellite is configured with an I-3K bus and the instrument identified for SAR is based on the innovative Sweep SAR technique configured in both L and S bands in polarimetric configuration for wide swath and high resolution.
The spacecraft will orbit the Earth in a sun-synchronous orbit of 747 Km with an inclination of 98.4 degrees for a 12-day repeat cycle.
India’s space program stands out as one of the most cost-effective in the world. India has earned worldwide recognition for launching lunar probes, building satellites, ferrying foreign satellites up, and has even succeeded in reaching Mars.
From 1999 till December 2021, a total of 342 foreign satellites from 34 countries have been successfully launched on board the Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) on a commercial basis.
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has been the primary aerospace service provider in the space segment since its inception, in 1969.
However, with the changing ecosystem, India has seen a boom with many private players entering the space sector and playing key roles in the Indian space economy.
This major shift would revolutionize the sector by reducing costs and turnaround time, with innovation and advanced technology, according to India
ISRO has launched a total of 129 satellites of Indian Origin and 342 foreign satellites belonging to 36 countries since 1975.
India’s Gaganyaan project under ISRO envisages a demonstration of human spaceflight capability by launching a crew of three members to an orbit of 400 km for a three days mission and bringing them back safely to earth, by landing in Indian sea waters. If India becomes successful in this mission it will be the fourth country in the world to have sent humans to space after the US, Russia, and China.
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