One of the first images from India’s recently launched Cartosat-2B advanced remote sensing satellite was released July 21 to show that the polar sun-synchronous spacecraft is working satisfactorily.
Since launching July 12 aboard India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, Cartosat-2B’s camera — sharp enough to distinguish ground objects at least 0.8 meters across — has been activated and has begun transmitting high-quality images, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said in a press release. A black-and-white image accompanying the ISRO release depicts a 16th-century fort still standing on the banks of the Yamuna River in the northern Indian city of Allahabad.
Cartosat-2B weighed 694 kilograms at launch and is capable of steering its panchromatic camera up to plus or minus 26 degrees along its north-south and east-west axes to facilitate frequent imaging of any area in its field of view.
