Press Statement by Mr Satya Brata Mookherjee, Minister of State (Space) on the launch of
RESOURCESAT-1 by PSLV-C5 on October 17, 2003
I am very happy to announce that today, we have launched our most sophisticated remote sensing satellite, RESOURCESAT 1, using our own satellite launch vehicle, PSLV-C5.
The successful launch today, the seventh in a row, unequivocally demonstrates the reliability of PSLV as a workhorse launch vehicle for launching our remote sensing satellites. PSLV has also proved its versatility having launched multiple satellites on earlier occasions as well as by launching an exclusive meteorological satellite, KALPANA-1, into a geosynchronous transfer orbit. This vehicle is also proposed to be used for our first mission to moon, Chandrayan-1. I am sure that PSLV, with its reliability well proven, will attract more and more international customers while meeting our own requirements for launching our future remote sensing satellites.
RESOURCESAT-1 reiterates our commitment to continue the remote sensing services to the national and the international users. RESOURCESAT-1 will not only continue the services that are now being rendered by IRS-1C and IRS-1D, but also, it will provide imageries with much better spatial resolution and in additional spectral bands. Thus, once commissioned, RESOURCESAT-1 will vastly enhance the remote sensing applications, especially, in the fields of agriculture, disaster management, land and water resources, etc.
More satellites for remote sensing applications are in the pipeline. CARTOSAT-1 with a high resolution camera for mapping applications is planned for launch in the coming year, which will be followed by an even more advanced version, CARTOSAT-2. Our government has also approved the development of a Radar Imaging Satellite, RISAT-1, which will have the capability to take imageries even under cloudy conditions as well as during day and night.
