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ISRO's PSLV C-47 carrying the Cartosat-3 satellite and 13 nano satellites from the U.S. lifts off from Sriharikota on November 27.
Cartosat-3, which was placed in orbit successfully last Wednesday, is India's 31st earth observation satellite.
From the experimental satellite Aryabhatta launched in 1975, to Cartosat-3 in 2019, India’s space odyssey has spanned 44 years and over 100 satellites.
The below slideshow highlights India’s space launches over the years.
Most of India’s satellites — 62% — are used for communication and earth observation.
India’s first earth observation satellite was Bhaskara-I, an experimental remote sensor which was placed in orbit in 1979. It consisted of two television cameras which gathered data on hydrology and forestry.
In contrast, one of Cartosat-3’s cameras offers a ground resolution of 25 cm — this means it can sight an object of width as low as 25cm from a height of around 500 km.
According to ISRO, “The imageries from [Cartosat series] satellites are useful for cartographic applications, urban and rural applications, infrastructure planning, coastal land use and regulation, utility management such as monitoring road networks, water grids or distribution, creation of land use maps, among others.”
The IRNSS-1A was India’s first navigation satellite, launched in 2013. Since then, seven more have been placed in orbit.
In 2016, the ISRO launched eight satellites, at the time the highest annual output. It repeated the feat in 2017, and in 2018, launched a record nine satellites (including a student-made satellite). The year 2019 has so far seen six launches.
India has a high success rate in launching satellites — nearly 90% of its satellites are successfully placed in orbit. Due to this track record, several foreign satellites have piggbacked on PSLV, which is dubbed the ISRO’s workhorse — the latest launch had 13 small satellites for the U.S.
The Cartosat-3 launch was also a milestone for PSLV — it was the vehicle’s 50th launch mission. Since it was first launched in 1993, it has been successful in 48 out of 50 launches, a success rate of 96%.
The latest launch was in PSLV’s ‘XL’ configuration, which employs strap-on boosters for more power.
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