WATCH India launch Cartosat-3 observation satellite & 13 other craft into orbit
by RT
WATCH India launch Cartosat-3 observation satellite & 13 other craft into orbit
India is launching its Cartosat-3 observation satellite into orbit – the first in a new series of remote sensing craft – accompanied by thirteen smaller probes, in a significant step for the country’s space program.
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) plans to send off the satellites from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on the island of Sriharikota at 09:28 local time, marking the forty-ninth flight for India’s domestically-designed Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). The ISRO expects the rocket to reach orbit in about 18 minutes.
The Cartosat-3, the primary payload, is an advanced Earth-observation satellite equipped with a variety of different imaging devices, useful for cartography and weather mapping, as well as for strategic and military applications. The ISRO says the craft will help India to meet increased demand for “large-scale urban planning, rural resource and infrastructure development, coastal land use and land cover, etc.” It is designed to operate for at least five years.
PSLV-C47 is ready for launching #Cartosat3 and 13 commercial nanosatellites into Sun Synchronous orbit from Sriharikota. ?The launch is tentatively scheduled at 9:28am IST on 27th Nov .#ISRO#PSLVC47pic.twitter.com/VnwRDFU83X
Twelve compact SuperDove probes will also make the journey into orbit, built by California-based firm Planet, which already has 26 similar prototypes in orbit, in addition to over 100 other functional spacecraft. Despite their tiny stature at under 12 inches tall, each cube-shaped SuperDove is capable of producing images of Earth at a resolution of about 10 feet, providing an up-close look from very far away.
The final device, dubbed the Meshbed, will serve as “demonstrator technology” for a novel communications system developed by American firms Analytical Space Incorporated (ASI) and MITRE Corporation. According to ASI, the device is “intended to pave the way for users on the ground to gain faster access to satellite data.” Like the SuperDoves, the Meshbed will also be operated by American companies.
Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!
