ISRO To Keep Eyes On Border With GISAT 1 Satellite Launching In March

Update: ISRO has scheduled the launch of the GISAT 1 satellite on March 5 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota. The space agency has confirmed the launch date on its official Twitter handle. The geo-imaging satellite GISAT-1 will be launched from the second launch pad, ISRO said.

ISRO is gearing up to launch a new Earth observation satellite. The GISAT 1 satellite will lift off in March to keep an eye on India's borders. The Indian Space Research Organization announced that it would launch the geo imaging satellite from the Sriharikota Satellite Launch Centre.

ISRO GISAT 1 Satellite

The ISRO GISAT 1 satellite will be carried in an Earth Observing (EO) spacecraft. The satellite will be placed in the geostationary orbit of around 36,000 km away from the Earth. A report by Financial Express notes that the GISAT 1 satellite is the first of the two EO satellite set to launch in 2020.

Further details note that the satellite will be positioned at a particular spot, where the entire Indian subcontinent can be looked over at all times. ISRO says that the GISAT 1 satellite is packed with high-resolution cameras to keep an eye on the Indian borders.

Apart from border surveillance, the satellite also observes the changes in the geographical area of the country. According to the Hindu, ISRO senior scientist Alok Kumar Srivastava added that so far all the EO satellites have been placed in the 600 km orbit.

GSLV-F10 is scheduled to launch Geo Imaging Satellite, GISAT-1 on March 05, 2020 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota.

Details avail at https://t.co/59AVCpSacl

Watch this space for more updates pic.twitter.com/AqTnirvPWC

— ISRO (@isro) February 25, 2020

ISRO Space Missions

Speaking of the upcoming Chandrayaan 3 mission, the senior scientist noted that the mission is set to take off within a year. He also confirmed that the Indian government has already approved the Chandrayaan 3 mission.

Recalling, ISRO launched the Chandrayaan 2 mission in 2019 with the Vikram lander and Pragyaan rover to explore the lunar surface. Unfortunately, the Vikram lander didn't have a soft landing and crash-landed near the Moon's South Pole.

At the same time, ISRO is also gearing up for the manned Gaganyaan mission, where two astronauts will be sent to space. ISRO is also working on developing and launching India's space station. The mission would span over the next decade and would have ISS like the US and China presently. Moreover, the US and France will be aiding ISRO with the space station.