Source: Indian Express
Context: ISRO is preparing to launch the GISAT-1A (EOS-05) Earth observation satellite aboard the GSLV-F17 rocket.
What is GISAT-1A?
- An agile Geo-Imaging Satellite designed to operate from geostationary orbit, about 36,000 km above the equator.
- The key difference from ordinary remote sensing satellites: conventional Earth observation satellites orbit in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), circling the planet and passing over any given place only occasionally. GISAT-1A stays fixed over the Indian subcontinent, giving continuous, near real-time coverage.
Mission Details
- Agency: ISRO
- Launch vehicle: GSLV Mk-II (Flight F17), with the indigenous Cryogenic Upper Stage (CE-7.5) and a 4-metre Ogive payload fairing
- Aim: near real-time, high-frequency imaging of the Indian subcontinent and surrounding seas, for disaster monitoring, agricultural assessment and national security surveillance
