Nellore: The Indian Space Research Organisation is preparing to launch PSLV-C46 with advanced radar imaging satellite (RISAT-2BR1) on board before the end of May this year.
Radar imaging satellites have been designed to provide a continuous view of earth either at day or night and even during bad weather for the forces to detect border infiltration.
According to ISRO scientists, RISAT-2BR1 will further improve the country’s imaging reconnaissance abilities. SAR images are produced by an active system that sends a microwave signal from a sensor platform to the ground and detects backscattered waves that the ground reflects directly back to a receiver on the same platform on the satellite.
RISAT-2BR was earlier scheduled to be launched after RISAT-2A sometime next year, but will now be sent up into space in the third week of May 2019.
It may be mentioned here that RISAT-1 is the first indigenous microwave remote sensing satellite designed and developed by ISRO. The satellite was successfully launched by PSLV-C19 into the sun’s synchronous orbit at an altitude of 536 km on April 26, 2012.
The satellite enabled imaging of surface features during both day and night under all weather conditions. RISAT-1 data was extensively used for applications in the areas of agriculture, particularly paddy monitoring in the kharif season and disaster management support, especially during natural disasters like floods and cyclones.
The satellite has accomplished the mission objectives. Anomalies were observed towards the end of the 5 year mission and the satellite is no more operational.
