ISRO to launch advanced Earth-observation satellite Cartosat-3 in Oct-Nov this year

Cartosat-3 has defence capabilities in addition to high-resolution earth observation capabilities for research & planning.

Tech2 News Staff|Aug 26, 2019, 18:00:50 IST

The Indian Space Research Organisation is all set to launch its third variant of the cartography satellite (CartoSat). The Cartosat-3 is the most advanced satellite and of all the variants ISRO has made this far, with defence capabilities in addition to high-resolution earth observation abilities.CartoSat-3 will be launching soon, said Chairperson of ISRO Dr K Sivan, in an interview with IANS. "The next launch will be cartography satellite Cartosat-3. The launch will be towards the end of October or early November this year."Sivan added that the satellite will be launched by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket.Cartosat-3 is the third series of Earth observational satellites built by ISRO and has advanced remote sensing tools that will be helpful with defence. It will be a leap of advancement over CartoSAT-2, with far better spatial range (of view) and resolution (of up to 0.25 metre, or 25 centimetres)[caption id="attachment_6824511" align="alignnone" width="1280"]

Chairman of ISRO, Dr K Sivan speaking at a press briefing. Image credit: Tech2[/caption]CartoSAT-3 is one of the most advanced imaging satellites ever built by ISRO, capable of producing images considered among the most high-resolution in the world, and certainly the highest of any satellites under ISRO's umbrella. It will have powerful capabilities in multiple different spectra: panchromatic (captures all visible colours of light), multispectral (captures light within specific ranges in the electromagnetic spectrum) and hyperspectral (captures light from across the electromagnetic spectrum) earth observation mission.CartoSat-3 was supposed to be launched in May 2019, according to previous reports.There have been eight Cartosats that have been launched previously.(Also Read: Spellbinding images captured by ISRO's Earth observation satellites, India's "eyes in the skies")

Careless Whispers: Scientists discover that plants can 'talk' to each other using smells

Japanese scientists have recorded a video that shows plants, in certain conditions, communicate with each other using mists that carry smells. The discovery, reveals that plants release a fine mist of airborne compounds, to warn nearby plants of potential dangers

Life on Mars? European Space Agency’s Orbiter discovers ice water deposits at equator

European Space Agency's Mars Express Orbiter has identified massive ice and ice water deposits beneath the surface of Mars. The Mars Express orbiter was also the first to confirmed the presence of ice on Mars in 2004

Microsoft briefly overtakes Apple as the most valuable company, Apple back on top again

At its peak during the session, Microsoft's value reached $2.903 trillion, with a 2% surge. As of writing this article, Apple closed at $2.89 trillion, whereas Microsoft closed at $2.86 trillion

Even NASA is facing a tough time, starts layoffs following major budget cuts

NASA is facing some massive budget cuts, because of which, it has been forced to postpone some upcoming missions. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has been hit hard by recent federal budget cuts, resulting in the layoff of 100 contractors last week

ISRO, NASA's NISAR satellite to get ready by Jan-end, will monitor Earth's snow-covered regions

The NISAR satellite which has been developed jointly ISRO and NASA, should be ready for launch by the end of January 2024. The collaboration between NASA and ISRO on NISAR is the first time the two agencies have cooperated on hardware development for an Earth-observing mission

Up Next