HPAS/Allied Mains 2022 Answer Writing Challenge Day 254: Model Answer
Question: Polar Earth observation satellites have revolutionized the mapping and management of natural resources”. Elaborate the statement in Indian context. (20 marks/400 words)
Answer.
ISRO launched its first earth observation satellite-IRS-1A in 1988. After that, it has launched a lot of operational remote sensing satellites. India has one of the largest constellations of remote sensing satellites in operation. The launch of IRS-1A, marked the beginning of a successful journey in the course of the Indian Space Programme. The Indian Earth Observation activities carried out under the National Natural Resources Management System (NNRMS). With a host of payloads in the thematic series of Indian Remote Sensing Satellites (IRS) and the INSAT systems, the Indian Earth Observation (EO) system has been providing operational services to the user community.
At present, 13 satellites are operational in the Sun-synchronous orbit. They are:
- RESOURCESAT-1, RESOURCESAT- 2, RESOURCESAT- 2A
- CARTOSAT-1, CARTOSAT-2, CARTOSAT-2A, CARTOSAT- 2B, CARTOSAT – 3
- RISAT-1 and RISAT-2
- OCEANSAT-2
- Megha-Tropiques
- SARAL
- SCATSAT-1
There are 4 satellites in geostationary orbit. They are
- INSAT-3D
- Kalpana
- INSAT 3A
- INSAT -3DR
IRS SATELLITE SYSTEM
- The Indian Remote Sensing satellite system has one of the largest constellations of remote sensing satellites in operation in the world today.
- IRS series of satellites provide data in a variety of spatial, spectral and temporal
- With these and the planned thematic series of satellites, such as Cartosat-3, Megha Tropiques, SARAL, and Insat-3D.
MEGHA-TROPIQUES
- Megha-Tropiques is an Indo-French Joint Satellite Mission for studying the water cycle and energy exchanges in the tropics.
- The main objective is to understand the life cycle of convective systems that influence the tropical weather and climate and their role in associated energy and moisture budget of the atmosphere in tropical regions.
RESOURCESAT – 1
- RESOURCESAT – 1, the tenth satellite in IRS series, was launched in 2003.
- It was placed in 820 km high polar Sun Synchronous Orbit.
- The images and data are being used for advanced applications like vegetation dynamics, crop yield estimates, disaster management support.
CARTOSAT – 1
- CARTOSAT – 1 was launched into a 617 km polar sun synchronous orbit in 2005.
- The data from Cartosat-1 is used for the preparation of cartographic maps, cadastral mapping updation, land use and GIS applications.
OCEANSAT – 2
The main objectives of OCEANSAT – 2 are to study surface winds and ocean surface strata, observation of chlorophyll concentrations, monitoring of phytoplankton blooms, study of atmospheric aerosols and suspended sediments in the water.
RISAT – 2
- RISAT – 2 is a Radar Imaging Satellite using an active SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) imager with all-weather capability to take images of the earth.
- This Satellite will enhance ISRO’s capability for Disaster Management applications.
- India’s first satellite with SAR and has a day-night, all-weather monitoring capability.
SARAL
- SARAL or Satellite with ARgos and ALtiKa is a cooperative altimetry technology mission of ISRO and CNES (Space Agency of France), was successfully launched in 2013.
- The overall objectives are to assess development of operational oceanography, understanding of climate and developing forecasting capabilities.
- Remote sensing provides an opportunity to view or analyze natural resources in inaccessible areas. Aerial photography has been used for a long time by resource managers to assess the direction and magnitude of changes in important natural resource parameters.
- Remote sensing has many useful applications in agriculture. It is used to assess crop type classification, crop condition assessment, and crop yield estimation and to map soil characteristics and soil management practices. Radar data collected by satellite are also useful to monitor drought or flooding events that can severely impact crop productivity
- Varieties of gadgets have been flown onboard these satellites to give essential information in diversified spatial, spectral and sequential resolutions to cater to different requirements in the nation and for worldwide utilization. The information from these satellites is used for numerous purposes covering agriculture, environment, forestry, ocean resources, urban and rural development, mineral exploration, and disaster management.
- EOS-01: EOS-01 is an earth observation satellite, intended for applications in agriculture, forestry and disaster management support.
- EOS-03: EOS-03 is a state-of-the-art agile Earth observation satellite which will be placed in a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit by GSLV-F10. Subsequently, the satellite will reach the final geostationary orbit using its onboard propulsion system.
- EOS-04: EOS-04 is a Radar Imaging Satellite designed to provide high quality images under all weather conditions for applications such as Agriculture, Forestry & Plantations, Soil Moisture & Hydrology and Flood mapping.
- HysIS: HysIS, the primary satellite of PSLV-C43 mission, weighing about 380 kg, is an earth observation satellite configured around ISRO’s Mini Satellite-2 (IMS-2) bus. The primary goal of HysIS is to study the earth’s surface in the visible, near infrared and shortwave infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Conclusion: The polar earth observation satellites produces high-quality images in all conditions and at all times, making it suitable for surveillance. Various programmes are carried out by ISRO addressing the developmental priorities of the country for planning, monitoring and impact assessment viz. Monitoring of Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP), Space Based Information Support for Decentralized Planning (SISDP), and GIS implementation of MGNREGA (Geo MGNREGA) Thus, Polar Earth observation satellites have revolutionized the mapping and management of natural resources.