ISRO’s RISAT-2 Satellite
Recently the RISAT-2 (Radar Imaging Satellite) satellite launched by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has again entered the Earth’s atmosphere uncontrollably.
RISAT-2 is India’s first “Eye in the Sky” satellite, which helps in round-the-clock border surveillance along with preventing infiltration and tracking cross-border terrorism or anti-national activities.
RISAT-2
- RISAT-2 is a radar-imaging satellite. It was part of ISRO’s RISAT program. Its weight is about 300 This satellite was launched by PSLV-C12 in the year 2009.
- RISAT satellites are fitted with a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR). These radars can take pictures of the Earth during the day and night and also in cloudy conditions.
- RISAT-2 was developed more rapidly after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks due to delays in the C-band being developed indigenously for the RISAT-1
- India’s first dedicated reconnaissance satellite has the capability to perform day and night as well as all-weather surveillance. It was also used to track ships considered a military threat at sea.
- RISAT-2 provided gainful payload data for over 13 Since its entry, RISAT-2’s radar payload services have been provided for various space applications.
- RISAT-2 spacecraft is a clear example of ISRO’s capability to carry out orbital operations in an efficient and optimal manner.
Upcoming Projects of ISRO:
- Gaganyaan: Indian manned space flight programme.
- Aditya-L1: To study the atmosphere of the Sun.
- NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar Mission: To study various threats and global environmental change.
- Shukrayaan-1: Orbiter for the planet Venus.
Source – The Hindu
